Do you notice how anytime someone rants and raves like this person did, it is always done using an alias!
Brendan P. Doherty: Fighting prostitution in Rhode Island
I would like to enlighten the citizens of Rhode Island about what has been described by media accounts and legislative testimony as a “loophole” in the current Rhode Island prostitution statute. Rhode Island has become a state where prostitution is believed to be legal.
Rhode Island general laws do in fact prohibit prostitution, but absent corrective language in the law, cases derived from the current statute can present prosecutorial challenges, especially if the act occurs indoors. Therefore, sex acts engaged indoors for payment or compensation are not generally pursued by law enforcement.
I don’t think the muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens was considering prostitution when he described Rhode Island as “a state for sale” back in 1905.
Prostitution, which has long been associated with traditional organized criminal groups, has also been linked to emerging criminal groups that engage in human trafficking. Traffickers sexually exploit humans by forcing them to prostitute themselves in brothels, massage parlors and spas. The lack of legislation converts illicit massage parlors and spas into ostensibly legitimate venues where commercial sex acts are allowed with few restraints. I would like to clarify the fact that there are many legitimate massage parlors and spas in our state that do not engage in these activities, leaving them with the onus of defending their professional reputation.
Recent legislation submitted by Representatives Joanne Giannini and Roberto DaSilva (H5044 and H5254) collectively closes the “loophole” of one of Rhode Island’s social degeneracies. It is disconcerting that Rhode Island has let this lack of prohibitory statutory language exist.
Currently, prostitutes are performing their trade, which is advertised in a variety of ways, including social-networking Web sites and using hotels, brothels and spas. The prostitutes, usually women, often drug-dependent, and/or down on their luck, fall victim to a quick trick for a quick fix. Their customers, usually undesirables, known as “johns,” exploit the women.
Sometimes the venue, described as a brothel, is run for the sole purpose of generating revenue in furtherance of the exploitation of women. So the “john” and the brothel keeper, known as a “pimp,” engage in clandestine, reprehensible and despicable conduct, offering a market for the prostitute.
All of these acts are addressed collectively in the proposed legislation, which I support.
Col. BRENDAN P. DOHERTY
North Scituate
The writer is superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
Besides, how many people read the RI board? Is there one?
In general, prostitution is a subject most of us would find interesting. This is a general board.
You are trying to say we can't talk about prostitution if it references a particular state?
Do you notice how anytime someone rants and raves like this person did, it is always done using an alias!
when supposedly "educated" people in power make uninformed statements about other people. For instance, to say that most people in prostitution are organized criminals or drug dependant and down on their luck. From what legitimate source is this guy getting his information? I'm an independant entertainer and I chose my profession. I have no "boss or manager" except myself. Also, I'm very health conscious and certainly am not drug dependent or down on my luck. I chose my profession and I enjoy it very much. And, let's face it, there is an art to lovemaking and entertaining. Sooo..I think that to criminalize or make illegal the profession of prostitution is to take away my constitutional right to freedom of expression and my right to have free enterprise. Having said that, I do aggree that it is wrong to enslave another person(I have a strong dislike for pimps)and I think trafficking is very wrong. So I understand cracking down on brothels and spas who traffick illegals and young minors and force them into the profession. They should be stopped! But to interfere with what is my conscious choice as a consenting adult and take away my right to freedom of expression and free enterprise? Wrong!
TF,
What makes you think that the RI spas are trafficing in minors, forced employment and illegals?
This man's rant?
And others like him?
If so, then you are a drug addict, beaten daily by your pimp and carry AIDS/other STDs.
If there was illegals/minors/forced employment in the RI AMPs, there are current laws against this and they would be shut down immediately.
No, this goes deeper.
You/we are all being lumped into a category of undesireables and some in RI will not be satisfied until they can change the existing laws and fully persecute/prosecute all involved.
doing much to make him happy.
I'm going home and have a nice tall cocaine malted and bawl into my pillow.
It's a bitter pill to swallow - after sporadically participating on this board for so long to find that my fellow hobbyists are all undesirable!! ..... and the ladies who post (whom I find most desirable!!)are sex slaves?
Oh, the shame of it all!!!
There is no RI board. The New England board covers RI.
I am a legitimate RI provider. I am not a druggie or any other type of undesirable and neither are the guys that I see!
I was very sad to hear that this bill is looking like it will soon be passed.
When and if it does get passed I will be staying away from RI for a bit I'm sure they will be very anxious to find a girl to make an example out of. I certainly don't want it to be me. I will be visiting CT and Mass more often starting next week.
It is true that some providers are d/d free and perhaps have no pimps and STDs and are not victims.
But there is such a thing called externalities which means that when a client meets a prostitute they do not poison society directly but they do it indirectly.
The john gradually loses his mind and his children and family are adversely affected. Instead of spending time with loved ones and grooming children, he spends time with a provider and corrupts himself.
The provider might get an asymptomatic infection or might fall into depression and the society bears the cost of this perversion as she will pass it to many clients unknowingly depsite getting regularly tested.
Some other externalities include: badly brought up children in John's family, who then fail in their life and cannot discriminate between right and wrong.
Pleasure is definitely obtained from a provider but the adverse cost is enormous. That is the view of RI authorities and good citizens.