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Prostitution in Illinois
Prostitution is a serious crime and carries significant consequences. Prostitution is defined as the act of a person who performs or offers to perform sex acts of any kind for money, property, or anything else of value. Prostitution can also be defined as the act of a person offering to touch or fondle the sex organs of another person.
If a prostitute is not directly offering to perform sexual acts with another person, solicitation may take place. This occurs when one person communicates with another person about performing sexual acts with a prostitute, arranging a meeting for two people for the purpose of prostitution, or knowingly directing a person to a place where prostitution is likely to occur.
Illinois also criminalizes the promotion of prostitution. A person is guilty of promoting prostitution when he or she knowingly:- Advances prostitution;
- Makes money from prostitution;
- Persuades another to become a prostitute; or
- Organizes or presents situations to allow others to practice prostitution.
What Are the Consequences of Prostitution?
The act of prostitution is automatically a Class A misdemeanor. Solicitation of a sexual act counts as a Class B misdemeanor. If a person is convicted of at least two violations, then he or she will be guilty of a Class 4 felony. If the act of prostitution is performed within 1,000 feet away from school property, then the person will be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
What Are the Health Risks Linked to Prostitution?
Studies have shown that people who perform the act of prostitution for money have a very high risk of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or other sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). However, even though most prostitutes have multiple partners and perform sexual acts without a condom or other means of protection, there is very little data regarding studies on prostitution, with a high difficulty of gathering population-level data. Some studies have been performed in prisons, exotic dance clubs, and gentleman’s clubs. With the lack of data on STD’s and their links to prostitution, there are many obstacles in developing efforts to prevent HIV among certain groups.
Contact Your Chicago Federal Crime Lawyer
Prostitution is a very serious matter. Not only is the act of prostitution harmful to a person’s body, it can also affect a person's quality of life, criminal record, and personal reputation.
If you have been accused of a sex crime, Attorney Hal M. Garfinkel has almost 20 years of experience in the federal crime practice and the team at the Law Offices of Hal M. Garfinkel LLC, Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney can assist you immediately. Contact the skilled Chicago sex crimes lawyers at 312-629-0669 to schedule your free initial consultation today.
Sources:
http://prostitution.procon.org/view.background-resource.php?resourceID=000734#1
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/sexworkers.html