CrimProf Blog has a post discussing a New York Times article detailing a New York law which will end the practice of charging underage prostitutes. From The New York Times:
Ending years of debate and delay, Gov. David A. Paterson on Friday signed into law a bill shielding sexually exploited girls and boys from being charged with prostitution.
The law, known as the Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act, will divert children under the age of 18 who have been arrested for prostitution into counseling and treatment programs, provided they agree to aid in the prosecution of their pimps.
It has been the subject of intense debate in the State Legislature and beyond, and was opposed by some law enforcement officials and by the Bloomberg administration, which argued that the bill would make it harder to crack down on prostitution.
But the bill’s backers said it was wrong to treat under-age prostitutes — many forced into the sex trade and kept there with physical threats and abuse — as criminals rather than victims.
The legislation passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly several times in recent years but died in the Republican-controlled State Senate, most recently because of disagreement over language addressing whether judges would have any discretion over diverting criminal charges.
But supporters agreed to add provisions this year that allow charges to be reinstated if the arrested child refuses counseling or declines to cooperate with court mandates, like testifying against sex traffickers. The new law will also prevent anyone who has already been through the program from avoiding prosecution for later prostitution offenses.
Sigh. What a waste of time. I would like to know how many child prostitutes are arrested each year that are under age 16. I bet not one, a handful at most.
What this really is designed to do is to put pressure on the girls to testify against their pimps. Hey, you won't have to go to prison if you rat him out. It will do nothing to keep the girl off the street because there are already plenty of services to do just that.
This isn't about helping girls. It's about padding crime stats.
Posted by: Daniel | September 29, 2008 at 11:39 PM
"I and was opposed by some law enforcement officials and by the Bloomberg administration..."
I could reply to this but it would require curse words. The ______!
Posted by: | September 30, 2008 at 12:28 AM