Worcester Arrests More Prostitutes Than Any Other MA City
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
Of the state 920 reported prostitution-related arrests, 171 of them were made in Worcester. Of the 642 women arrested statewide, 157 were from Worcester. While certainly making a dent in the prostitution problem in the city, some are worried that the emphasis on arresting females over males is slightly problematic.
“As a community, Worcester is going to have to come together to address the issue of prostitution, arrests alone will not stop the problem,” said Bill McCarthy, a criminal justice professor at Quinsigamond Community College and a former Connecticut State Trooper. “We have to take a closer look at not only the number of arrests but who is actually getting arrested. In our current culture, there is a much higher demand for sex, pornography, lap dances, prostitution, and other sex-related services. Looking at the demand is just as important as looking at the problem.”
Prostitution-related arrests increased in Worcester to 171 from 118 in 2012. It is not known whether this number represents an increase of prostitution in the city or an increased effort to arrest people. Calls were made to the Worcester Police Department but were never returned.
Arrest Trends
Although the number of prostitution-related arrests have increased in Worcester from 2013 to 2012, the number of males being arrested is not. In 2011, 46 males were arrested, in 2012, 31 males were arrested, and in 2013, only 14 males were arrested.
Although there are male prostitutes, many of the males involved in prostitution fall under two categories: johns and pimps. According to Michael Shively, founder of the Demandforum.net - a Cambridge-based website that tracks actions against sex buyers across the US – the amount of arrests both state and nationwide haven’t budged much since the mid-1990s, signaling that any changes in arrest ratios between men and women signal one of two things: a surge of local activity or a change in policing philosophy.
Community Coming Together
With Worcester having so many problems with prostitution both in the past and currently, there are many groups throughout the city who are trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
While much of the policing efforts have been in arresting prostitutes, organizations like YWCA Central Massachusetts are trying to work with prostitutes to give them the tools to make steps toward getting out of the profession.
While Amarely Guttierez, Director of Domestic Violence Services at YWCA Central Massachusetts, agrees that much more emphasis could and should be put toward eliminating the market in Worcester and throughout the world, there also needs to be an emphasis in helping prostitutes get out of the profession. Many prostitutes return to the streets after being arrested and released because they don’t have anywhere to go and because selling sex is their only means of making money to pay bills and to feed their addictions.
“Recently there was an initiative started called the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation,” said Guttierez. “We are trying to provide services to prostitutes and trying to hold the johns more accountable. We are trying to not only talk about the issues at hand but also trying to help with the next steps for prostitutes. We are trying to train people when we meet so that organizations have the tools to help prostitutes. We are also trying to have different organizations that they already offer to prostitutes – for example our organization can offer housing – so that there is a greater community effort to help prostitutes move on to the next step.”
Related Slideshow: MA Cities and Towns With the Most Prostitution Arrests
Related Articles
- Worcester Task Force Targets City’s Prostitution
- Worcester Still Battling Chronic Prostitution
- Good Is Good: The Secret Service and Prostitutes
- In Case You Missed It: Worcester Targets Prostitution
- Angiulo: Comparing Legalized Prostitution in Canada versus America
- Women Represent 70-Percent of Prostitution-Related Arrests in MA
- Why is Prostitution Tied to Economic Development in Worcester?
- MA Cities and Towns With the Most Prostitution Arrests
- Dear John: Is Thirteen Too Young For Sexy Underwear?
- Dear John: Child’s Birth Causes Death of Sex Life
- RI Colleges Get Sexual Health “Grades” from Trojan
- Sexual Harassment in Middle School On the Rise
- Talking With Kids About Sexual Abuse Scandals
- Good is Good: The Legacy of Sexual Abuse in the Church
- NEW: Chiropractor Suspended for Sexually Massaging Young Patient
- Talking About the Taboo: Sexual Health Conference This Weekend
- Brown Research: Sexually Active Teens & Confidentiality
- Good Is Good: Yoga and Sexual Perversion
- Men’s Waist Size Linked to Sexual Dysfunction
- NEW: Auburn State Trooper Faces Indictment for Sexual Assault
- Newport Manners + Etiquette: Same-Sex Wedding Guest Etiquette
- Carol Anne Costa: Sexual Assault Can Happen to Anyone
- Dear John: My Boyfriend is Bad at Sex
- Dear John: My Mother-In-Law Is Sex Offender Paranoid
- Don Roach: When Rights Collide – Homosexuality and Religion
- Worcester Colleges Fail to Report All Campus Sexual Assaults
- Dear John: When The Only Sex Is Drunk Sex
- Newport Manners & Etiquette: Sex Etiquette for Seniors + More
- Dear John: The Thought Of Sex With Him Makes Her Shudder
- Angiulo: Ten Years of Same-Sex Marriage in Massachusetts
- NEW: Worcester State Releases Statement on Armed Sexual Assault
- NEW: Worcester State University Investigating Armed Sexual Assault
- Leonardo Angiulo: Spotlight on the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board
- Newport Manners & Etiquette: Same-Sex Weddings & More
- Dear John: Expressing Anger Through Sex. Or No Sex, Actually.
- Dear John: Agreeing To Marry - Disagreeing About Sex
- Newport Manners & Etiquette: Same-Sex Etiquette for the Holidays
- Tom Finneran: Today’s Trio: the Patriots, Marriage, and Sex
- New England Cities With Most Same-Sex Couples Raising Kids
- Dear John: Boyfriend’s Sexy Talk A Total Turnoff
- NEW: Patrick Signs Bill to Protect Sexaul Assault and Domestic Violence Victims
- New National Ranking: How Sexually Healthy Is MA?
- NEW: Mass Medical Society Urges Parents to Learn About Child Sex Abuse
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It