Citation

Shdaimah CS, Wiechelt SA. Int. Rev. Victimology 2013; 19(1): 23-35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, World Society of Victimology, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0269758012447217

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Women who are charged with prostitution sit at an intersection of victimization and criminality. It is widely acknowledged that many women who engage in prostitution, especially those engaged in street prostitution, suffer from a variety of problems including past and current trauma and abuse, substance abuse, mental and physical health disorders, and housing instability. Our interviews and focus groups with 17 women currently and formerly engaged in prostitution reveal that survival needs and coercion are factors in their involvement in prostitution. They are also commonly victimized prior to and during their involvement in prostitution. In August 2007, the State's Attorney's Office of the City of Baltimore began an initiative to create an alternative for people who are charged with prostitution, which is a crime in Maryland. These efforts stem from what may be considered a discomfort and ambivalence with a criminological approach to offenders who are simultaneously considered victims. Diversionary approaches are an attempt to manage these ambivalent and often conflicting constructions of women who engage in prostitution. However, such programs will largely serve as a palliative rather than a long term solution if they fail to address the personal and structural factors that severely circumscribe the choices available to this marginalized population.

Language: en