Dealing with a Prostitution Charge

Prostitution charges can involve both state and federal law. Constitutional questions may be involved. It is important to get an attorney that is versed in both state and federal law if you are facing criminal prostitution charges.

How to Deal with Prostitution Charges

Prostitution is illegal in every state except Nevada (and even there it is only legal in certain counties and under specific conditions) under United States law. Each state has discretion to impose criminal penalties for prostitution under its criminal code. Prostitution is generally defined as the purchase or sale of sexual acts for something of value.

If you are facing criminal prostitution charges, here are some things you may want to consider:

• Conviction of a sex crime such as prostitution can mean imposition of penalties including imprisonment, fines, probation and mandatory sexual offender registration. Sex offender registration can cause you loss of future employment and housing opportunities. There are restrictions on the types of employment a sex offender is entitled to procure.
• If you can offer the prosecutor testimony or evidence of a larger criminal circuit, you may be able to strike a deal to reduce or drop the charges against you. Discuss the possibility of any plea bargain with your attorney and make sure you understand what you are agreeing to accept. If you can get the charges against you reduced to a non-sex related crime, you may avoid the humiliating and haunting impact that sex offender registration has on people's lives.
• If your charges involve constitutional or other federal issues, make sure that you employ an attorney who has experience handling complex legal issues that cross jurisdictions. The interplay between state and federal law can be a complicated thing to master.

Getting Legal Advice

If you have been charged with criminal prostitution, contact an attorney who practices criminal law in your vicinity. A criminal defense attorney will go over the facts of your case with you and attempt to find points of weakness in the prosecutions case and potential defenses. You can discuss the possibility of plea negotiations with your lawyer if you think you may want to plead out to a lesser charge. Because of the large number of criminal cases flooding the criminal courts, prosecutors are often motivated to reduce charges in exchange for guilty pleas if it means they can reduce the number of trials they must present.