Its an easy mistake to say that all prostitutes are on the streets and are drug users. Many girls who are on the game work in brothers/massage parlors, work from a suburban homes or even escort agencies. These places could even be on your street..... and you may not even know

Indeed. However, if we legalise prostitution whats to say these "agencies" could not continue without being regulated?
As you say, they could be anywhere and we may not even know - and that applies to the law aswell. They won't even know they're still running illegally.

If prostitution was legalised an underground illegal prostitution ring would inevitably emerge. I dread to think what that would be like. Legalising prostitution is a great idea but it's a can or worm.

Well lets hope this puts them straight:

Source: Australian Institute of Criminology

So would you go as far as the Huntsville police department in the USA and name and shame the prostitutes and publish their pictures on a website.

http://www.ci.huntsville.al.us/polic...2011_08_06.htm

To be honest I think that is taking things a bit far, but I'm sure their people here that think that is a better alternative legalising the oldest profession in the world.

Oh god, who would wanna sleep with any of those women anyway lol!

You'd be surprised.

I think that's great idea. Lets start a similar scheme over here.

they all look cracked out, some Monsters ****.

They are street prostitutes not the high class kind you would expect from films and television. They are real people with real problems that ended up on the streets. I'm sure if you look through all the press release you could find the odd nice looking one if you're that interested.

It was posted to prove a point that this could be a possible alternative. But it doesn't do anything to solve the problem it just highlights it. Again if your interested to look through the site you would see the same girls appear on several press releases. I bet it doesn't solve anything. Just makes it more dirty and drives it underground.

Some of the press releases include the punters, they seem to get done for loitering .

Sorry, was not trying to offend anyone.

It's okay I didn't think you were. I guess it just came as a shock that the girls looked so ordinary and plain, and the ages were probably older than you expected. It's not just young woman that work the streets the age range is bigger than you would expect.

Don't forget these girls work at night and would have had their makeup removed for the police photograph.

Those skanks would need a lot of make up. Why didn't any of them look like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I thought all prostitutes were as good looking as her!!!!!!!

lol, "Fifty bucks grandpa, for seventy-five, the wife can watch" love that film

Great film. Realistic too!!!!

Not sure that I agree with part of that.Usually you get these underground networks because something is illegal rather than legal,such as secret brothels,drug dens,gambling joints and ofcourse home brewers during prohibition in the States..I don`t see that there would be an underground market for something that was legal anyway.

I understand the difficulty with governments legalising prostitution but feel strongly that there is a middle ground whereby it could atleast be decriminalised, I doubt many of us look at a prostitute as a criminal??

I dont..... its just a way of making a living for some... not all working girls are junkies. I think decriminalizing would be a great idea

I see what you're saying. My point was that with any market there will be a expensive high end and a much cheaper end of the market. I dread to think what the cheaper end of the market may be like.

But your also forgetting that if we legalise it.... it would be taxable. This would generate money for the government and take back police time that they're spending on arresting these girls and their punters

True. But as I posted earlier, any brothel would have to ensure that the girls were free of diseases and also ensure the safety of the girls. At the high end of the market I'm sure there would be no worries but at the low end of the market...I dread to think. And due to the fact that it's legal. The people running the brothels would probably be free from prosecution. I know I'm being a pessimist but the girls would probably be in even more danger in the long run.

The Brothel owners would have a duty of care under existing laws to look after they employees. and the their health. Besides getting sued by the employee they could also face fines and prison if they didn't look after the girls correctly.

It what way would they be in a dangerous situation than their in now? Regular checkup would be free...... as they are for anyone in this country. Having them in a more controlled and safer environment would be beneficial to both the girl and the punters.

You both make good points. I'm being very pessimistic because I can see corners being cut. I can see a Max hardcore type of person emerging if prostitution was legalised. If you don't know who he is wiki him as I'm sure I'd get warned on the forum for supplying a link to his wiki page. He always hides behind the first amendment and his freedom of expression right. I see someone like him making a lot of money given a favourable situations.

I think legalising prostitution is a fantastic idea but I can also see the pitfalls.

And it is right to to bring them up, if all the problems haven't been thought through then any public debate would be pointless and without a debate any law made on this subject would be unworkable.

Protections for the people working in the industry from people that set out to exploit them need to be put in place, and any loop hole in the law that lets owners of brothels escape their responsibilities needs to be filled. This is the sort of law that needs to workable first time round. Getting it wrong could possibly be costly in terms of the safety and health of the workers.

i still dont think it should be legalised

I think decriminalizing it will open up more criminal activities. It would free-up the drug industry. I think that rather than decriminalising it the goverment should find alternative jobs for these prostatutes.

Why dont they get jobs like the rest of ours. Job Centre will help them find better jobs. I dont know how they get into the mess of prostitution. Although i have some sympathy for the pain they go through (rex aint all that bad) I cant help but think some where along the line, they messed up big time, just as drug dealers, burgelers.... and so on.