Costs of Prostitution to Society
Every city is plagued with the problem of prostitution. The Midwest is no different. On an average year in Toledo, Ohio 1437 prostitutes and prostitution-related arrests are made. Attitudes surrounding prostitution range from, "they choose to be out there", "no harm is done", "it is a victimless crime", to "our resources would be best spent elsewhere helping those deserving few". In reality, the cost of prostitution in the Midwest to law enforcement, women in prostitution, and the community is a serious issue, and one that requires a strategic and meaningful community response.
*Law-Using Toledo as a target city, it is estimated that each time a woman is arrested in Toledo for prostitution or a prostitution-related offense, it costs the city $2025 per arrest. The recidivism rate for prostitutes there is estimated to be 70%. Seasoned professionals on the streets of Toledo have been arrested an average of 10 times. One woman involved in prostitution activities in Toledo was arrested 67 times over the course of an eight year period.
Prostitution is often a gateway crime for women. It has been reported that 70% of female inmates in American prisons were initially arrested for prostitution. Currently one in three women in jails today were arrested for prostitution; 7 in 10 women imprisoned for felonies were initially arrested for prostitution.
*Children-Children of prostitutes experience problems which call for both intervention and prevention measures. Children of prostitutes are at-risk and most often require special services. Parental drug and alcohol addictions and poor prenatal care contribute to poor outcomes. Babies of prostitutes with low birth weight and other significant problems, due to cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and crack-cocaine abuse may suffer long term health problems. Drug addiction prostitutes may not bond with the child, or give them adequate early nurturing because they lack parenting skills, have a street lifestyle, or have a preoccupation with addictions. These children have a difficult time being successful in our schools. Some grown to be special needs children, often requiring the services of specifically trained professionals. The cost of specialized staff, facilities, equipment and materials is expensive, with the need to use both local and state monies, to meet the needs of these children.
Children who do not become conventionally connected to institutions such as schools have difficulty remaining productive citizens in a competitive society. They are often unable to compete in the conventional job market. Many grow up to be locked out of mainstream jobs and must rely on the underground illegal economy to get their needs met. As the prospects for conventional employment diminish, other alternatives such as prostitution become not only increasingly relied upon, but they come to be seen as a way of life and the cycle of the poor, single, and uneducated women who may use prostitution as employment continues.
*Community- The visibility of prostitution in residential areas has an impact on our youth. An informal survey done with young girls in the north end of Toledo who attended a girls recreation group at The Friendly Center revealed that some girls believed prostitution to be a viable option in the event they were unsuccessfully pursuing conventional means of employment. Efforts to provide focused services toward the reduction of prostitution would decrease and/or prevent the option of prostitution as work for young low income girls.