Public Order Crimes - Applied Criminology Assignment

...

Along with these three types of violence, studies and surveys have been conducted to support a positive correlation that we see between illegal drugs and crime. When the Office of National Drug Control Policy conducted a study where adult arrestees were drug tested, as many as 76% tested positive (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2012). Despite a positive correlation, extensive research about drug abuse has determined that drug use does not cause criminal behavior. Although it does not prove causation, drug use in fact heightens the extent and severity of criminal behavior.

One public order crime that has been around for centuries is prostitution. Prostitution refers to those who sell their sexual services, those who recruit them, those who solicit clients for them, and those who house them. Prostitution is closely associated with the drug market and several other serious crimes. Health risks such as sexually transmitted diseases is one direct harm of prostitution, as well as symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2008 a study of 130 people working as prostitutes in San Francisco were interviewed regarding the extent of violence in their lives and symptoms of PTSD. Of these 130 prostitutes, 82% had been physically assaulted, 83% had been threatened with a weapon, and 68% had been raped while working as prostitutes. Also, of the 130 people interviewed, 68% met DSM III-R criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD (Farley & Barken, 2008). Other harms and concerns include exploitation of women as property, pornography and the fear of sexuality, religion and promiscuity, and sex and social class (Bullough, 1987).

Although prostitution is illegal in the United States, many argue for its legalization. The harms that accompany prostitution can be quite serious, but unfortunately is something that continues to persist all over the world. Some believe that if prostitution cannot be stopped, the government should legalize it and help make it safer. Prostitution would become recognized as a occupation, thus allowing state governments to regulate it by licensing brothels and prostitutes, determining where they can be located, and requiring regular health check-ups. The legalization of prostitution ignores the emotional harm that is associated with prostitution, as well as the functional role of morality to society.

Works Cited

Bullough, B. "Women and Prostitution - A Social History." National Criminal Justice Reference Service. N.p., 1987. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

Farley, Melissa, and Howard Barken. "Prostitution, Violence, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Woman & Health. 3rd ed. Vol. 27. N.p.: n.p., 2008. 37-49. Print.

Fell, James. "Repeat DWI Offenders in the United States ." NHTSA.gov. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Feb. 1995. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Junker, John. 1972. Criminalization and criminogenesis. UCLA Law Review 19:694–714.

Walsh, Anthony, and Anothony Hemmens. "Public Order Crime." Introduction to Criminology. 3rd ed. N.p.: SAGE Publications, 2014. 483-97. Print.