Craigslist Making it Easier to Solicit in Las Vegas
Solicitation for prostitution in Las Vegas traditionally occurs through yellow page ads and billboards touting escort services and massage parlors. But recently, Craigslist has become the new frontier for breaking Las Vegas solicitation law, and what's more, the law is barely being enforced. UNLV Criminal justice professor Alexis Kennedy observes, "It's this whole world of online brothels, but nobody is monitoring it anymore.”
Although Craigslist recently removed its “erotic services” section, prostitutes can still break Las Vegas solicitation law by posting paid ads under the “adult services” section. Kennedy, with the help of eight grad students, found that the vast majority of the “adult services” ads they analyzed appeared to be for escort agencies, included (702) phone number, and even specified prices for “services.” But as Lt. Karen Hughes, who heads the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's vice section, explains, "Policing those venues has become very difficult . . . There are just very, very few resources that are dedicated to those types of operations . . . It's an insurmountable problem."
Las Vegas solicitation law makes it a misdemeanor to offer sexual favors in exchange for money. Penalties include up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Brothel prostitution is legal in various counties in Nevada, always in rural areas.
Read the Las Vegas Review Journal article at http://www.lvrj.com/news/craigslist-helps-sell-sex-online-79750302.html.
