Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. announced Wednesday, April 21, that his office will no longer prosecute prostitution and unlicensed massage. The Breitbart News believes that this marks a change in focus for the justice system with respect to the sex industry.
A press release on the decision from the New York County District Attorney’s Office argued that prosecuting prostitution “does not make us safer” and “instead achieves the opposite result of further marginalizing vulnerable populations.
Vance said, “At this time, we are refusing to directly prosecute individuals arrested for prostitution and will only allow these individuals to provide services and support to the community on a voluntary basis. By revoking warrants, dismissing cases and eliminating convictions on these charges, we are completing a paradigm shift that addresses these issues.”
Vance announced the policy change during a virtual appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court. In court, he moved to dismiss 914 prostitution and unlicensed massage cases, some of which date back to the 1970s and 1980s.
In addition, Vance moved to dismiss 5,080 cases of loitering for the purpose of prostitution. Loitering is defined as staying and loitering in a public place for an extended period of time with no apparent purpose. Vance said loitering cases are decades of discriminatory enforcement and unfair discrimination against sexual minorities (LGBT community). The sexual minority community is made up of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
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