California Gov. Jerry Brown has just signed a bill into law that decriminalizes prostitution for minors.
The idea is that children who are victims of human trafficking and forced into prostitution might be able to move on with their lives without a criminal record.
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The Democrat governor signed SB1322, that would prohibit police from charging children under 18 with prostitution.
The bill was sponsored by Los Angeles-area Democrat Sen. Holly Mitchell. It would also allow police to take sexually exploited children into custody if leaving them unattended with their legal guardians would post an “immediate threat to their health or safety,” the LA Times is reporting.
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The bill was widely supported, but opponents said they were worried it could prevent law enforcement from helping vulnerable children who don’t see themselves as victims. If they can’t be officially “arrested” for the crime of prostitution, they can’t be removed from the dangerous situation without their consent.
“Right now the best way to get these young women help, the best way to rescue them from this lifestyle is by keeping law enforcement involved through the ability to arrest,” Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) said. “Maybe in a few years from now, when we are doing better job at both the state and local level, we will better equipped and ready for this bill because services to young women will be readily available. But we are not there yet.”
Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley), who co-authored the bill, said the Legislature had put $20 million in this year’s budget to address the issue. Forty of 58 counties, he said, had already applied for funding to develop social services, shelters and other programs.
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“All we are doing in perpetuating current law is saying, ‘You are not the victim, you are the criminal,’” he said. “Let’s say collectively there is no such thing as a child prostitute because there is no such thing as a child prostitute.”
Other lawmakers agreed.
“This is not the end of it,” Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) said. “This is the beginning of us thinking differently about the problem.”
