GEMS NYC PROSTITUTION CODE

They imposed significant 'collateral consequences' on vulnerable people, he said, some of whom continue to live under the threat of being detained because of pending warrants. Many of these warrants were issued 'at a time when we did not recognize the circumstances that these individuals were facing,' Vance added. 'These cases – many dating back to the 1970s and 1980s – are both a relic of a different New York, and a very real burden for the person who carries the conviction or bench warrant,' Vance said.

GEMS NYC PROSTITUTION CODE

He said his office has not prosecuted that crime since 2016 and noted it was removed from the state's penal code earlier this year. The remaining 5,080 listed 'loitering for the purpose of prostitution' as the top charge, and Vance asked the court to dismiss those as well. Of those, 878 are prostitution cases and 36 are related to unlicensed massage. The district attorney's office said it had identified 5,994 cases in its records - dating back to 1976 - that involved an open bench warrant as well as a top charge of either prostitution, unlicensed massage or 'loitering for the purpose of prostitution,' all misdemeanors.

She added that the district attorney is making 'critical changes in its approach to the sex trade and the way our communities support those most at risk of exploitation.' 'Black, Brown and East Asian women and girls, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people have been disproportionately harmed by laws like 'loitering for the purpose of prostitution' and 'unlicensed practice of a profession' – a charge that is often used to make arrests in massage businesses,' Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of the legal services provider Sanctuary for Families, said in a statement.

The text of the new policy notes it does not preclude officials from bringing 'other charges that may stem from a prostitution-related arrest.' A spokesperson confirmed to NPR that it will not change the office's existing approach to arresting patrons of prostitution.īut the change is poised to affect thousands of sex workers and victims of sex trafficking, many of whom are women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

Going forward, it said its Human Trafficking Response Unit will file paperwork to decline formally to prosecute, and to inform the person arrested about purely voluntary services. The Manhattan District Attorney Office's previous policy was to dismiss prostitution cases after the charged individual completed five counseling sessions with service providers. By vacating warrants, dismissing cases, and erasing convictions for these charges, we are completing a paradigm shift in our approach.' 'Over the last decade we've learned from those with lived experience, and from our own experience on the ground: criminally prosecuting prostitution does not make us safer, and too often, achieves the opposite result by further marginalizing vulnerable New Yorkers,' Vance said. In a statement, Vance noted the disproportionate impact of such laws on the LGBTQ community and other vulnerable populations, and credited advocates and survivors with making this set of reforms possible. Law New York Repeals 'Walking While Trans' Law

Gems nyc prostitution