In California, the law on prostitution is beginning to shift away from prosecuting the children and young women that may have been forced into the industry. This is largely a result of organizations such as “Saving Innocence” and “Rights4Girls”, and their efforts to show that minors are victims, not criminals. [1]
On Monday, August 26, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown addressed these widespread concerns by signing several bills that decriminalize prostitution and provide protections and services for minor victims. [2] One of the bills, Senate Bill 1322, was created to make “the crimes of solicitation and loitering with intent to commit prostitution misdemeanors inapplicable to children younger than 18”. [3] The bill also allows law enforcement to take children into temporary custody if leaving them unattended would involve a threat to their safety. [4]
Another bill passed will make it easier for minors to share their painful experiences by allowing them to testify through closed-circuit televisions outside of the courtroom. [5]
[1] Mike McPhate, California Today: A Shift in the Child Sex Trafficking Trade, NY T???? (Oct. 3, 2016) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/03/us/california-today-child-sex-trafficking.html.
[2] Jazmine Ulloa, California decriminalizes prostitution for minors after Gov. Jerry Brown signs bills to aid trafficking victims, L?? A?????? T???? (Sept. 26, 2016) http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-california-decriminalizes-prostitution-1474918476-htmlstory.html.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.