Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, on Wednesday announced that his office would no longer prosecute prostitution and requested a judge in the state dismisses cases dating back to 1976.
The Wall Street Journal reported the cases had a top charge of prostitution. Vance said he hopes the change helps those turning to the lifestyle to feel less marginalized:
“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.”
The paper pointed out Vance’s move comes a few months after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that repealed a statute that criminalized loitering for prostitution, the report said.
Abigail Swenstein, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society, said in a statement the new policy should “not supplant the need to pass legislation that would fully decriminalize sex work and provide for criminal record relief for people convicted for prostitution offense.”
TREND FORECAST: There will be a surge in prostitution as the earnings for lower and middle-class workers decline and inflation goes up, thus costing more to buy less and not having enough money to make ends meet.
As politicians have done in the past, with gambling and now cannabis, they will legalize prostitution to bring in more tax revenue.
