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Kim Johnson Flodin / Special to the Sun
Monday, March 22, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Miranda is 14 years old and angry as she stands in court. She’s spent a month in juvenile detention, even though she wasn’t charged with a crime. No, this time Miranda’s locked up because she agreed to testify against her pimp, and juvie is where she must wait for the trial to start — it’s the only place in Clark County for a young victim witness with a history of running away.
So she waited. Then the trial was postponed. More waiting. Then, two days before Miranda was due in court, her pimp took a deal. He pleaded guilty to pandering in late February and avoided trial. Miranda spent 38 days in juvenile detention, and never testified.
Here’s what the jury didn’t hear: Miranda was 13 when Metro vice cops caught her milling outside a truck stop on Tropicana Avenue last August. She was wearing a short brown dress. She climbed into a passing car. Police pulled the car over. Miranda said the driver was paying her $30 for oral sex. Then she started to sob.
Miranda came to Vegas from LA with her pimp and another prostitute on a Greyhound bus — she turned tricks to pay for their tickets. Now she was working Tropicana to pay for their motel room. She had to make $500 a night or her pimp, Tony, denied her food and sleep. Miranda said Tony bought her from another pimp two months earlier. He gave her clothes, a fake ID, and a warning: Charge at least $80 for sex, make clients buy condoms, and work for me or die.
Miranda is a ward of the state in California. She has no family to go home to. When she didn’t want to turn tricks, Tony beat her, then sent her to the hospital under a fake name. So when Miranda agreed to help vice detectives build a case against Tony, it was a tremendous thing — not just the brave choice, but also the hard choice.
Like many juvenile prostitutes, Miranda was up against a legal system that would hurt her before it helped her.
++++
Juvenile prostitutes are technically criminals. Juvenile prostitutes are also victims of crime. When they’re caught soliciting, or loitering in casinos after hours, they’re arrested and taken to juvenile hall. They’re being punished. But they’re also, in some strange way, being protected. Hundreds of juvenile prostitutes are caught in Clark County every year; most are from out of state, many are foster-care refugees or runaways, almost all work for a pimp.
A 16-year-old stands before the courtroom of Judge William Voy during the juvenile sex offender calendar.
If they’re not arrested and detained, they make bail and flee. They’re either in trouble with the law or in trouble on the streets. They’re victims being punished for their own good, which feels pretty bad.
At any given time, roughly half of the girls in Clark County’s juvenile detention are there on prostitution-related charges, Judge William Voy says. Most will remain in detention at least two weeks, while their cases wind through the system. Some will stay longer.
Nobody likes this arrangement — not police, not prosecutors, not public defenders. But this is how it must be, because of a very simple problem: There just aren’t enough places to put these girls. Juvenile detention is the only secure housing option.
Sure, there are a few local facilities where juvenile prostitutes can live, waiting for trial dates or transfers home, but these places are hardly ideal. They’re not designed for child sex workers — if therapy is offered, it’s certainly not tailored to the specific needs of juvenile prostitutes. More importantly, perhaps, they’re not lock-down facilities. Residents can leave. This means the girls must want to stay in a court-mandated home for delinquents (and what teenager would?) They must resist the urge to run back to their pimps — which sounds easy, until you remember that most were only selling sex because there was a pimp, with a lot of power over them, pulling the strings. Or throwing fists. Or both.
Girls living in these facilities have been known to bolt into the idling cars of pimps waiting outside — running right back into the abyss of abuse.
“These girls are so broken. They identify with the girls they work with, the pimps. [Prostitution] becomes their safe area, and they want to go back to where they feel safe,” says Susan Roske, Clark County chief deputy public defender. “We want to hang onto them, to keep them from running, and sometimes the only way to do that is in a secure environment.”
The first time Miranda was arrested, she was transferred from detention to an open group home. She spent a few weeks there, then ran. It wasn’t long until vice cops picked her up again. This time, it was decided Miranda would be held as a material witness in the case against her pimp — and because she had a history of running, she would be locked up.
++++
Wednesday mornings are reserved for juvenile prostitution cases in Judge Voy’s courtroom. One by one, the girls stand before the Family Court judge, some shuffling in prison slippers with their hands cuffed — criminals, and victims.
They range in age from 12 to 17. Some cry, some stand blank-faced, some fume, some smile demurely — almost flirting. Different girls with the same problems: Many are repeat vice offenders, are addicted to drugs, are victims of childhood abuse, are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, are in love with their pimps, are combative and uncooperative, are utterly without family. Many are teen mothers, too.
Voy listens, but doesn’t have many options. He gets three to five new juvenile prostitution cases a week. About 60 percent are from out of state and wanted home on additional charges, or by child-welfare officials. Voy sends them back, bracing for the boomerang, when they wash up in Las Vegas again.
With local girls, or girls without ties to other states, Voy can send them to one of a few group homes in Clark County. Or he can send them to programs in Arizona and California that cater to juvenile prostitutes. But these are all open facilities, best suited for girls who want out of the game — and many do not. (Or can not, not without more help.)
Voy’s last resort is Caliente Youth Center. It’s a state boarding school for kids in trouble with the law, 150 miles from Las Vegas, remote enough to discourage running away. But it’s hardly a healing environment. Most juvenile prostitutes see the Youth Center as a kind of punishing exile — and they’re not entirely wrong.
It’s no secret that Voy and his Family Court colleagues are frustrated with the lack of placement options, the lack of tailored therapy programs, and the feeling victims are being punished. For five years, the judge has been trying to open a new facility in Clark County — Voy calls it a “safe house” for sexually exploited children. He’s teamed up with Roske, from the public defender’s office, as well as the district attorney’s office, child advocates and Metro police — groups that all agree that a safe house must be built.
So far, all they have is a rocky patch of land.
++++
In architectural renderings, the safe house could pass for a Summerlin mansion. It would be the only program of its kind in the country. A house for juvenile prostitutes, staffed by mental-health providers, where the primary goal would be psychological healing.
Oh, and it would also be staffed by juvenile probation officers — people who would detain girls if they tried to run. The safe house would be a “staff secure” facility, a place where law-enforcement officers stand in for steel bars and lock-downs. Girls would not be allowed to leave. This is what makes Voy’s safe house unique, and, so far, impossible to build.
Voy has lined up enough donors to get the house built for about $2 million in charitable contributions, he says. The problem, however, is that donors don’t want to give until they know the safe house is certain — and the safe house won’t be certain until Voy can find the money to pay for the probation officers.
Voy figures he’d need eight probation officers on staff to secure the house at all hours. He estimates this would cost $750,000 a year at the most. It has to be law-enforcement officers who can legally put their hands on girls, Voy says. Moreover, as government employees, their presence links the safe house back to the justice system.
Approaching juvenile prostitutes as victims, and providing therapy instead of punishment, would address the core issues that keep juvenile prostitutes on the street, Roske says. Moreover, Voy suspects girls living in the safe house would be more inclined to help police go after the real criminals — the pimps.
Still, when Voy asked county officials to cover probation officer’s salary, they balked. And that even before the budget crisis.
Since then, Voy has been looking for another revenue source — something that, unlike donations, is stable enough to provide a constant salary base. The latest plan entails approaching the Legislature for an added tax or fee to generate the funds. Of course, this means waiting until the next session, and banking on politicians in the middle of a fiscal drought.
Nonetheless, Voy, and Roske — who is also working to get the house built — say they’re confident it will happen. They’ve just got to get the message out.
To that end, Voy has been featured in national TV news stories about juvenile prostitution—pieces that often open the way this story did: With a girl ripped right out of Voy’s courtroom. The typical, horrible, everyday scenario. The fact that Miranda’s story isn’t unusual, or particularly extreme, is the real horror. The fact that she may know it, meanwhile, is almost unspeakable.
“These girls are what you call throwaway kids,” Roske says. “Nobody wants them, nobody loves them, and they know it.”
After her 38 days in juvenile detention, Miranda was released to a residential treatment program. If Voy never sees her again, it could be a very good sign. Or a very bad one.
This story originally appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
There is no child prostitution in the licensed brothels in those counties where prostitution in legal. That is the key. Legalize and carefully regulate adult prostitution and then child prostitution will go away.
When you make something illegal, only criminals get involved. During the 1920's we made alcohol illegal. The end result? It was sold by violent criminals like Al Capone. Today we have made prostitution illegal. The end result? It is run by violent pimps who exploit children.
Whether you're talking about alcohol, drugs or prostitution, Prohibition is always the cause of the violence and abuse, not the underlying activity that is being banned.
Pimps threaten little girls with death, I say we as a society do the same to them.
Legalize it,the illegal operators will disappear.
Illegal Alcohol sales, illegal numbers games (street lotteries) illegal pain killer sales etc. they all became a thing of the past when the STATE legalized it. As for Prostitution? the criminal aspects will fade-away when this is legal in all counties and readily available.
Only a serious Per.vert will find himself (or herself) a 12-15yr old but your average John Q. Trick is happy, if a legal 18-40 yr old gets him to where he wants to go sexually.
Now you will hate me for this but, Some of these girls should be given the opportunity to train for a career and do "internship" at NYE county brothels ( paid for by the brothels) not working as prostitutes but serving food, welcome clients, assisting with brothel chores cleaning wardrobe care etc until the reach 18 and obtain a license to work, after all for mnay its all they'll ever know and you me of police can't FORCE them to learn job skills - they were born with the tools of their trade!
There is no child prostitution in the licensed brothels in those counties where prostitution in legal. How do you know this? Are you an officer of the law in those counties? Do you have statistics to back this up? Child prostitutes usually have a history of sexual abuse. Legal brothels does not change this nor prevent it. "most are from out of state, many are foster-care refugees or runaways, almost all work for a pimp." Legalized prostitution does not prevent poor parenting that caused the situation to develop...
She needs an educational program.
have them move in with an obama voter.
According to all the studies that I have read, nearly 80% of all prostitutes started being that before the age of 17 and they have a history of being sexual abused by family members before the age of 17, too.
This women have very little self-esteem and struggle to make basic life decisions.
They are emotional and spiritually wrecked individuals.
Most will end up being substance abusers.
Legalize prostitution and this problem will go away.
The sex crime statistics from the EU where prostitution is legal prove this.
It is just an american puritanical,right wing religious extremist who prevent this legalization.
A smart sex worker can make enough money by the age of 30 to retire. Maybe, the jealousy of this possibility stops this from becoming legal.
Women would be empowered to make lots of money - and with money they would get power.
Stevem,
She's 14, and that's your answer? Never had a chance at a normal life, and not given the advantages you or I have had. There are a lot of Obama supporters and those whose don't support him who would help these children any way they can. Cut your puppet strings and start thinking for yourself. Get out there and see what life is like for these kids, or are you afraid of what you might see.
Waiting for Killerb to check in and explain to us that there is no such animal as a minor prostitute and quote us some constipational quote to back up his contention!
That's not what they're saying Journey. If you make prostitution legal you'll cut back on teenage prostitution because of control. Make it legal and give the death penalty to pimps is what I would do. If you pimp a teenage girl, you don't deserve to be on this earth IMHO.
As far as prostitution itself, didn't even the Holy Ghost get a prostitute pregnant? Why on earth can't it be legal? You'll NEVER get rid of it, so make it as safeand controlled as you can.
Some places they would publish Johns names but in Tourist towns thats a big no-no.Theres no 100% solution to this problem in my opinion.All these girls cant be saved and all these pimps like drug pushers cant be arrested.Does society keep fighting or give up and legalize vice?
chooch, remember that stevem is a republican, and therefore is incapable of any thought that includes compassion.
"What should Clark County do with teenage prostitutes?"
How about leaving them alone? As long nobody's being hurt there is no crime -- except for the REAL crime pushers, the cops and the prosecutors who need it to justify their funding.
This article's writer picked a case of an unusually young case for the shock value. Biology and personal choices dictate the reality of situations like this, not a bunch of prudish old ladies who can't handle other people exercising their freedoms. The Constitutions protect the pursuit of happiness, yet the herd presumes to dictates what others get to choose as "acceptable" or "appropriate."
hell on wheels, Bob635 -- you guys posted the only reasonable bits here. I'm with you.
pmmart -- again, I'd retort "bite me" if you were even slightly relevant here.
Let the flaming begin.
"Although the most clear-sighted judges of witches and even the witches themselves were convinced the witches were guilty of witchcraft, no guilt in fact existed. So it is with all guilt." -- Nietzsche from "Gay Science" 1882
well, obama voters seem to think they have the cure for every "ill" in our society, right?
then let them "put up or shut up" finally.
every obama voter wants to take money out of MY paycheck to feed homeless people and give them healthcare...so how many obama voters gave up their sofa last night so a homeless person could sleep there?
that's right...none.
look at europe some of the lowest crime rates for sex, because it is legalized, this is not really prostitution but child trafficking very different, however if 18+ prostitution was legalized you would see a huge drop in sex crimes against adults
Vegasj:
"didn't even the Holy Ghost get a prostitute pregnant?" If you are writing about Mary, the mother of Jesus, no she was not a prostitute. But, she was by most accounts a teenager.
fosimmons:
While I technically agree with legalizing prostitution, I don't think a brothel would be a welcome addition to most neighborhoods. Throw it out amongst the businesses. That is, after all, what it is.
Killer B:
No one is being hurt?? You are kidding aren't you?
How about the girl herself? She has to go endanger herself every night to live in a shi**y hotels because her pimp is too lazy to get a real job.
I disagree with you. This story is not an acception to the rule. It is the life of a typical teenage prostitute.
Again, let me reiterate to you. I am no Sarah Palan and I totally understand the biological clocks of teens.
But, that does not in any way shape or form make it ok for dirty old men to take advantage of a young girls just starting their reproductive years.
Killer B - did you NOT read the article? They are being FORCED to prositute. I would say that those girls are being seriously hurt. Their chance for ever having a normal life are close to 0. The pimps have taken their lives, they are child killers. My heart breaks for those girls.
I will never understand why one needs a pimp.
are u people serious..legalize prostitution??..so i guess slavery is okay then..pimps are like cult leaders..if u think making it legal is acceptable jus so crime itself would be lowered..u are jus as perverted as those pimps..giving them rights would not make it better..i say rid them of there rights and send them to a remote island and leave em to rot.yaye we can call the island pimps paradise..lol
Interning at the cat house?Yeah,that would go over well....
DUH
I worked with kids like this 30 years ago and nothing has changed.
These kids are trapped since the pimp has them captive.
No one who honestly heard their stories would comment casually
Anyone who is a pimp or customer deserve's death and hopefully on the nearest lamp pole and immediately upon capture.
Anything else will not work and so nothing will work
end of story.
Making this about Obama lets me know that you aren't parents and probably clients or employ these young women. I've worked with they type of girls. They honestly and truly feel these pimps are going to "save" them and/or truly love them. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. These girls are too young and too "much in love" to really know any better.
markp -- thanx for throwing some actual logic and clear-thinking into this mix.
"She has to go endanger herself every night to live in a shi**y hotels . . . . . I disagree with you. This story is not an acception [sic] to the rule. It is the life of a typical teenage prostitute. "
greendino -- like disagreeing with me means a thing. How many adults have to "live in a shi**y hotels"? If you look beyond this article's self-serving bits from people whose paychecks depend on keeping this a hot issue before the public, it starts to fall apart. Nothing in this article really proves Miranda is at all "typical" of anything but Miranda's experiment with street life.
Jenlv -- nothing in this article proves anyone was "FORCED" into anything. Coerced, maybe, if these girls are to be believed on all the details. And as the article shows she did get free -- into the control of the very state-run system that appears to have exploited every bit as much as anyone else. So who's the real pimps in this story?
str8truth -- "legalize prostitution" isn't what it's about, it's repeal the laws on ALL consensual acts and leave them alone. Your other proposals are too hysterical to bother answering.
Look at the article's facts, people --
"Miranda is a ward of the state in California. She has no family to go home to . . . . . Like many juvenile prostitutes, Miranda was up against a legal system that would hurt her before it helped her."
California did a good job with this "child," no? I've known some foster kids. their parents and their time in courts -- the state takes them from their families for the simple reason they get paid outrageous sums by the feds for doing it. Therapists get an $80k budget to endorse whatever the state wants. Meantime the charges against the parents are flimsy, dads are kept away by bogus restraining orders, and extended family willing to care for the child are ignored -- all in violation of even the state's own laws and rules.
Take all your righteous energy and direct where it belongs, to the publicly-funded pimps claiming to help her and those like her.
"The most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from your government and I'm here to help you.'" -- Ronald Reagan
Some of these comments have not used one touch of logic. People have commented about the legal aspect of prostitution which is fine. Here people we are talking about kids, not adults by children.
There is NO correlation between adult prostitution and children. The customers who choose children would not be content with and adult prostitute, no more then a Herion addict would be happy with a beer. There is a BIG difference between a child and an adult in the prostitution game here are well as other places in the world. Use your heads people!
killerb,
If they're being forced to "prostitute or die", denied food or sleep, and suffering physical abuse, does that meet your description of getting hurt? If not, what does?
Are these girls not entitled to their own freedom?
It's really quite simple, Pimping should be a felony crime,(open to three counts laws) especially violation of the Mann Act, Pandering, and kidnapping, sounds to me like this piece of garbage Tony should get life in prison without the possibility of parole. Period!
Killerb : don't even try to respond here with your sick philosophy as stated above..
"Are these girls not entitled to their own freedom?"
henderson -- absolutely. That's my whole point.
environprotector -- one thing I gotta say about you, you are consistently irrelevant.
most young that run away from home end up working the streets.Then once they see how easy it is to make money they become hooked witch is the reason why when they get caught most go back to the streets.Some you can save but most of them get stuck liveing the street life..
tysuave77 :
Most of these enslaved young girls are given highly addictive drugs by their pimps which is the reason why the sell their bodies on the street to give money to the pimps, and feed their own drug addiction. Eventually they become beat up, sickly and unable to turn tricks anymore, and are usually murdered by the pimp and stuffed into garbage dumpsters. Pimps need to get the death penalty!!
KillerB : Irrelevance is too big a word for you to understand..
Stevem,
Your argument holds no water. That's like me telling every pro-lifer to adopt every child that a raped woman gives birth to.
They need to...1/Legalize Prostitution 2/Make pimping a felony 3/Set aside a portion of the fine on sex crimes to fund programs that address this problem
MR906,
A+
these girls are emotionally scarred and/or lack the smarts to keep themselves from being preyed upon by lowlife pimps. just one more problem the government doesn't have the resources to effectively prevent.
These kids don't go into prostitution on their own. How about life in prison for their pimps.
stevem,
those socialistic liberal programs supported by your taxes, damn let's end them all. Speaking of dam, I hope you never travel to Arizona over the dam or receive your power and water from that project. I'm assuming you travel on your own roads that you've built, home school your children, have your own well, provide your own fire/police services, never travel by plane, don't use the local or national park systems... The list goes on. I mean to use of such things would be sin for you, being such liberal, tax draining programs.
"These kids don't go into prostitution on their own."
go_rebels -- you base that on what exactly?
killerb doesn't believe in child predators. He thinks these kids choose the abuse. He also thinks kids that get molested wanted it, and he also thinks it's okay for adults to have sex with children.
Remember that website:
http://www.nvsexoffenders.gov/Search.asp...
Know where the child molesters live and work in your neighborhood! They are literally everywhere, you will be surprised.
You can search by address, zip code, name, social security number, even license plate.
not all girls get turned out by pimps allthough most do..Some may do because they have a friend who does it some may even have a female familey memeber who brings them in the game...Not all working girls are into drugs dont you live in vegas go to the casino and take a look at some of the beautyful working girls some of you people need to stop getting all your info from news and the tv if you knew the lifestyle then you would see all the diffrent types of working girls,and not all have pimps..Some do it on there own..
Legalize it in Clark County, setting a minimum age of 21. Can even allow solicitation inside bars & clubs that allow it, though it'd have to be publicly advertised that customers need to check for a licence. Aggressively pursue & punish pimps & customers operating outside the legally sanctioned system -- using fines collected from them them to set up residential group homes for minors looking to escape the life.
Let consenting adults do what they want in private, protect children, and hammer the scofflaws.
NLV-Indep13 -- the only disagreements I have with your proposition is 1) repeal the laws making prostitution illegal EVERYWHERE, 2) the minimum age should be 18, not 21 (like the stupid drinking age, kids are only enough to go fight foreign wars for this country but not considered old enough for adult rights at home??), and 3) take them back to their families, not put them in group homes except as a last resort.
"To be evil is 'not to act in accordance with custom', to practice things not sanctioned by custom, to resist tradition, however rational or stupid that tradition may be..." -- Frederich Nietzsche, 1878 "Human, All Too Human," page 96
God help us.. KillerB is quoting Nietzsche now.. Get help KillerB..
environprotector -- OK, this one little lapse, can't resist it.
Not just quote it, I study Nietzsche. Currently on "The Genealogy of Morals."
Get help for what exactly -- reading something you don't approve of?
KillerB :
To put it plain and simple, I stand firm in your right to express your values and opinions freely, however I believe your ideas and philosophy to be unsound..
Miranda ran from Children of the Night in Los Angeles because she was being coerced to testify against a pimp in Las Vegas.
When her social worker found her in San Diego, the San Diego Police Department arrested her and held her until Las Vegas Metro picked her up in San Diego and transported her to Las Vegas detention to await testifying against the pimp.
For a short time, while in detention, Miranda was willing to testify to get out of detention. After the first continuance she lost all hope and told me she was just going to run and run.
When released from Las Vegas detention she returned to San Diego and was placed in a group home where she ran away again and no one has heard from her since.
The suggestion of "Pretty Jails" may help the justice system get convictions of pimps, but the plan is short sited in efforts to help children escape prostitution.
Millions of dollars are being raised on the back's of these children and law enforcment and the justice system are the beneficiaries.
Look who's pimping now!
Dr. Lois Lee
Founder & President
Children of the Night
www.childrenofthenight.org
For more info see: Dr. Lois Lee's Blog
Stevenm: I see you're off your medication again.
babyboomer...once again...you have my screen name wrong.
Lois, you and I can agree, in part, that "Pretty Jails may help the justice system get convictions of pimps, but the plan is short sited in efforts to help children escape prostitution." The identification and successful prosecution of pimps (although very necessary) alone will not solve the problem. The underlying issues (low self-esteem; emotional & physical abuse; lack of love and nurturing in the household, etc) that are causing these youngsters to be more susceptible to being victimized by a pimp MUST be addressed (along with the emotional and physical scarring caused by working as a prostitute). I know you are very well aware that when both of these things occur, recidivism is very low. The two biggest hurdles to achieving this end are (1) a lack of facilities/programs to provide aftercare/rehabilitation and (2) the lack of understanding of the scope and dynamics of the problem (I point to KillerB as the perfect example of this).
You have a wonderful organization, but you have space limitations. There really needs to be a similar organization here in Las Vegas. While Judge Voy's vision may, in some respects, be shortsighted, it is a well-intended step in the right direction.
I am, however, surprised by your suggestion that "Millions of dollars are being raised on the backs of these children and law enforcement and the justice system are the beneficiaries. Look who's pimping now!" You, of all people, should know how much Judge Voy, Susan Roske and the men and women of the LVMPD Vice Section care about these victims. Like you, they are all highly dedicated professionals, committed to saving young girls from the lifestyle. Are you really suggesting they're pimps? I realize anybody can post to a blog and identify themselves as someone they're not. However, if this is really THE Dr. Lois Lee I've both met and developed a great deal of respect for, that respect has been diminished by the referenced commentary.
environprotector -- since opinions vary, I see no contention in your last post. Maybe reading some Nietzsche could heat up your intellect -- I recommend you start with "Beyond Good and Evil."
So a 14 year old has endured sexual abused for years and runs away from home.
She has to make a living now to pay for her drugs, food and to get keep her pimp.
She does this by having "sex" with strangers about 5 to 10 times a day.
killer8 is perfectly fine with that.
Eventually she will get one or STD's and spread that to her john's.
Killer8 is perfectly fine with that.
Eventually some day one or more of the john's will spread the STD's to their wifes.
Killer8 is perfectly find with that.
One day, a wife will died from clervical cancer that came from the STD.
killer8 is perfectly fine with that.
I am confident that the founders did not consider prositution to be a natural born given right for prostitution is harmful to both the body and mind and more importantly to the spirit.
So what sentence did her pimp get?
Hopefully he's getting beaten to a pulp in a prison cell right now.
Comment removed by moderator. Comment contained vulgar language.
Stevenm is a complete pointless dork....Have them move in with an Obama voter is just a lame statement-Obama didnt cause creepy men to want to have sex with a kid nor did he request a 14 year old to have sex with a creep- so that was just plain retarted-bottom line is that we all know right from wrong and i think everyone knows there is help if you want or need it-selling your body seems to be a choice in this town-easy money-Its all about the almight dollar....cash is king! or is it?
I guess the staff removed my prior post due to "vulgar language"...........this whole issue is vulgar!!Men having sex with children is a crime........!!vulgar my ass!
Look at 90% of the broken down(of legal age) sluts that have infested Vegas. Where do you think they got started?
Children of the Night receives children from 15 different states each year. We have beds available because our children are held in jails and we work every day to help them get released so they can spend a small part of their life as a child protected by responsible, caring adults.
Today we receive calls from parents, children and probation officers about children being coereced into testifying against pimps and then released into the dysfunctional home or social service system that failed them in the first place.
Legislators all over America are putting forth legislation to remove child prostitution from the criminal code and to place these children under the jurisdiction of the Department of Children's Services or Children's Protective Services because of DOCUMENTED ABUSE of these children by the criminal justice system.
New York, California, Georgia and Conneticut are blazing the trail with legislation to end the criminal justice system's control over these children.
Las Vegas is one of the only jurisdictions that places children in long term detention and then releases them through Nevada State Parole - even 14 year olds.
Las Vegas had the nation's leading intervention program for America's child prostitutes. Children were identified by Las Vegas Vice, detained for short periods of time, placed in homes where they could receive appropriate care and supervision and then accompanied to court to testify against a pimp/trafficker.
There is a culture of Las Vegas Metro Police Officers who participated and speak of the "magic" that occured when there was a cooperative effort between law enforcment and social services to rescue America's children from prostitution.
See what is going on in our government operated institutions: http://tinyurl.com/ycxdaxv
Dr. Lois Lee
Founder & President
Children of the Night
www.childrenofthenight.org
Dr. Lee,
Thank you.
Keep up the good fight.
KillerB - you realize the Nietzsche stuff is so much b.s., right? I mean - it's not like the guy did anything. He sat on his ass and pontificated all day. Big deal. Philosophy means squat if you're beaten and raped. Or is that theory? Does rape exist? Was I raped? No - I was a tool of man's inhumanity to man - no, wait - that's not it. Hmmm. Let me ponder while I bleed...
All your commentary are words that do nothing but exist to exist. To study and query and ponder. And ponder some more and twist what's in front of you into something else that's no longer the pale of reality. Let me try to peek into your mind - reality, you see, isn't really what it looks like. No one is suffering - unless they think they are. No one is killing if they think they are performing transformation no matter the reaction of the victim. If someone is beating you to a pulp and infecting you with a virus - well - that's fair because society is not.
See what I mean, KILLER? All talk and no action. Words are words. Actions are actions. From time to time adjectives, nouns and decisions cross paths from which things occur. Spouting rhetoric is just so much bile.
geenab65... 'they honestly and truly feel that these pimps are going to save them'...does that make Obama a pimp too???
I'm still trying to imagine a pimp on a Greyhound bus.
chediski -- and .....?
About Nietzsche -- you read what you want to read, I'll study what I want to study. The fact his books are for sale at your nearest Borders more than a century after his death shows relevance your the herd can't begin to grasp.
"It is a painful and tragic spectacle that rises before me: I have drawn back the curtain from the *rottenness* of man." -- Frederich Nietzsche 1888 "The Anti-Christ"
WHY, PLEA BARGAIN?
MIN (10) TO WORK AS A SLAVE. NO CONFY PRISON CELL EITHER. OUTDOOR CAMPS. NO MORE EARLY RELEASES EITHER. PRISON TOO FULL OUTDOOR CAMPS.
NO MORE DEATH ROW. ONE EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR UNTIL EMPTY.
IT SEEMED TO WORK BEFORE.
Correction to chediski -- meant to post ". . . shows relevance the herd can't begin to grasp."
My apologies. Look at the posting time -- I therefore vow for all future early morning posts: coffee first THEN post.
"After the coffee things ain't so bad." -- Henry Herbert Knibbs the cowboy poet, deceased 1945
Lois, Las Vegas and Dallas remain the nation's leading intervention programs for America's child prostitutes. Children are identified by LVMPD Vice and detained for short periods of time. The attempt is made to place them in homes where they can receive appropriate care and supervision and are always accompanied to court to testify against a pimp/trafficker. There remains a culture of criminal justice professionals in Las Vegas (this includes the LVMPD, Judge Voy and Susan Roske - amongst others) who continue to participate and speak of the "magic" that occurs when there is a cooperative effort between law enforcement and social services to rescue America's children from prostitution. Nothing has changed.
It is disingenuous to state, "Las Vegas is one of the only jurisdictions that places children in long term detention and then releases them through Nevada State Parole - even 14 year olds." For starters, Las Vegas is one of the few jurisdictions in this country that actually treats juvenile prostitutes as victims. While this is starting to slowly change, the majority of jurisdictions do not do this. As stated in the first paragraph, victims in Las Vegas are identified, detained for short periods of time, and the attempt is made to place them in a home where they can receive appropriate care and supervision. Upon their release, they are under the supervision of Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services for probation. This entity is not affiliated with the Nevada State Parole. Any long-term detention (i.e. Caliente) comes as a result of repeat offenses. (Post split here for 3000 character limitation)
(Post continued)
I agree, wholeheartedly, that victims should never go back to a dysfunctional home or social service system that has previously failed them. The problem remains with the lack of facilities to provide the protective, caring environment these victims need and deserve. Again, you have a wonderful organization -- an organization to which I regularly donate - but you are constrained by space. We need other like facilities - ones where abuse is not continued by a different abuser. Until those facilities exist, Judge Voy is limited in the options available to him. This is a situation I know he finds this extremely troubling.
This is a highly complex issue exasperated by a lack of resources suitable to address the problem and, in many cases, a lack of understanding as to the scope of the problem. I'm not sure "putting forth legislation to remove child prostitution from the criminal code and to place these children under the jurisdiction of the Department of Children's Services or Children's Protective Services" is the answer, either. According to Nevada Law, children don't commit crimes, they commit delinquent acts. Making prostitution a status offense places the victim into a facility in which he/she can walk right back into the waiting arms of the pimp, and the cycle goes on. Making prostitution legal for a juvenile to engage in hinders the prosecution of pimps, thus emboldening them. If the article referenced in your post is accurate (and I'm not claiming it isn't), is the Department of Children's Services or CPS really a long-term solution?
killer b, you are such a pedantic little twit. "i study Frederich Nietzsche", he says. congratulations, now sit there in your cell and wait for your hour of yard time.
I referred you to an article that spoke to the sexual assaults of children in detention facilities under the care of the juvenile justice system. It was not about Children's Protective Services. There is a difference between the systems. One cares for the child and the other punishes the child under the guise of rehabilitation.
Here it is again: http://tinyurl.com/ycxdaxv
Take a look at our current treatment of children here in America and see "Rough Justice" CD/DVD
http://www.youtube.com/elfenworks#p/a/u/...
REMEMBER OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT THE ENEMY!
Dr. Lois Lee
Founder & President
Children of the Night
www.childrenofthenight.org
Legalize it, STUPID
The illegality of prostitution is where the abuse lies. Prohibition of prostitution has worked no better than prohibition of alcohol or drugs. Police, prosecutors, and special interest groups preclude rational solution because they are only interested in preserving thier jobs.
Women's groups scream about protection fo women...which is good, but thier solutions are an intensificaiton of techniques already proven to fail. If they really wanted to protect women, legalize and provide security and health care. This is what many countries around the world do.
That said, underage girls should not be involved in it and police should continue to monitor for that. But my, guess is legalization will improve matters and make it easier for police to look out for underage girls instead of attempting to police masses of adults and kids....in a country where it is all illegal.
culturechange -- well put.
Too many here fail to factor in how hard times force people to make hard choices just to survive. John Stuart Mill in his mid-1800s classic "On Liberty" mentioned how a criminal is created when you take away the means to make his daily bread. Remember that next time you see someone on the street ask you for something so he can eat.
How exactly would legalizing prostitution prevent minor children from being sold?
I can't speak as to other jurisdictions; however, in Las Vegas, CPS and juvenile detention are housed in the same facility (separated within but in the same building, nonetheless). There is limited space in these facilities, which means most children in the CPS system end up in a group home or in foster care when removed from their biological family. We both know there are just as many (if not more) horror stories involving abuse in foster care and group homes as there are with juvenile detention facilities. This is the point of asking the question: "Is the Department of Children's Services or CPS really a long-term solution?" While both the Juvenile Justice System and Child Protection Services are flawed, both do seek the same end (just by different means). I think we can both agree, at least statistically speaking, a child is better off with one of these entities than running the streets.
Lois, my original posts were made to address what I feel are mischaracterizations of our local law enforcement and justice systems. We are on the same side here. I don't think children are the enemy. Trust me, I want to help them every bit as much as you do. Neither of us (nor anybody mentioned in this article) have ill intentions. We may disagree slightly as to how this should be accomplished, but we shouldn't let these differences interfere with partnerships. We are stronger and more effective together than alone.
@henderson --
Legalization of prostitution will not prevent the recruiting and/or the selling of minor children for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
Juveniles represent the largest demographic targeted for recruitment into prostitution. Legalization won't change this. It legitimizes it. Let's cast this fact aside for a moment and consider the following:
We don't do a very good job at regulating current legal, adult-related businesses. There have been juveniles involved in the adult film industry. There have been, and currently are, juveniles involved in the erotic dance industry. I would be willing to bet that in the history of LPIN there has been at least one juvenile that has worked in one of our legal, rural county brothels. Pimps have extensive networks and these networks include DMV and County Records employees that can (and do) create legitimate state-issued ID's, driver's licenses and birth certificates to establish false identities for his prostitutes.
Lastly, a comprehensive review of the impact of legalized prostitution in countries such as the Netherlands and New Zealand show that illegal prostitution (including juvenile prostitution) actually increased in those areas. Remember, legalization doesn't ensure everybody can get licensed let alone employment. Prostitutes that don't meet the regulatory requirements won't stop plying their trade just because they can't get licensed. They'll just continue to work illegally.
Dear Riotact,
If you care so much about the children in detention, then why did Children of the Night have to buy the children in detention flip/flops to protect their little feet from disease in communal showers?
Why does Children of the Night have to equip the detention center with GED Books and College Directories?
Why did Children of the Night have to provide those children with high school books to read and movies to watch?
Because no one in Las Vegas was willing to do that!
You carefully avoid mentioning the care and supervision of children, some as young as 14 years old, who are sent to Caliente because of multiple arrests for prostitution and then released on Nevada State Parole.
Our dentists here in Los Angeles are appalled at the dental work performed on these young girls through Caliente and we have funded the repair work.
Either shut up or put up!
Dr. Lois Lee
Founder & President
Children of the Night
www.childrenofthenight.org
You know pimping ain't easy!
"How exactly would legalizing prostitution prevent minor children from being sold?"
I already explained that. You just did not want to hear it. Legalizing takes the adults, in prostitution, off the streets so that police can rescue the underage girls. Right now the streets are flooded both.
There is an underlying political agenda in this article. By total victimization of the underage girls, it allows for blaming it all on the soliciting men. This is the radical feminist approach that Sweden adopted. I dont think that is right either....or constitutional to take two people willfully involved in illegal activity and blame it all on one person because of gender. These girls put themselves out there first. They know right from wrong (and they knew it is illegal) so they are not totally innocent of making this choice. There needs to be consequences to them too for making this bad decision....or there will be a flood of more of them and the problem will get worse.
Lois-
I don't understand why you treat me like I am the enemy. I'm not. You have a wonderful, wonderful organization. We need more organizations like yours.
As far as the, "shut up or put up!" comment goes, I guess you must have missed where I told you I regularly donate money to your organization. Not anywhere near as much as what your celebrity contributors do, but I do what I can. It's very gratifying to see the money is being put to good use.
This will be the last post directed towards you, as this is clearly devolving into something that was never intended. Keep fighting the good fight and try to remember those mentioned in this article are just as dedicated as you are in this cause - and are doing the best they can with what they have available to them.
It cost us about $50,000 Dollars to keep one prisoner in prison for one year. We always focus on punishment and very little on prevention. More police, more prisons, more courts, etc. will not solve these social problems. We need to refocus our attention on education where these kids can grow and become contributing member to society. These kids come mainly from brocken families. They were innocent babies at one point and society shaped them to become who they are today. Foster home sytem is not working and we need to change it. Institutions that include decent housing, on camposs schools, and respectable guiding professional are a must to help solve the problem. I bet you can get at leat 5 kids fed and educated in such institution for the $50,000.
I was going to make the smart a$$ comment of, "Send them to my place. Giggity-giggity!"
It's sad, though... You wonder how life would be to have no options and no goals/dreams/desires besides not getting beaten or killed...
Legalizing prostitution will never take hookers off the streets. There will always be streetwalkers. Look at the legal brothels...that hasn't taken hookers off the street.
There have been juveniles involved in the textile industry. There have been, and currently are, juveniles involved in sweatshops . The textile industry has a long and shameful history of exploitation of women and children, going all the way back to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.
I say it is time to shut down the textile industry. We must ban the sale, manufacture and possession of all clothing.
I would be willing to bet that in the history of legalized clothing there has been at least one juvenile that has worked in one of our legal, textile manufacturers. Sweatshops can (and do) create legitimate driver's licenses to establish false identities for child labor. Yes, many legal clothing factories do not abuse women and children. But if even one textile factory abuses a child, then they must all be shut down.
Anyone who purchases clothing is contributing to the exploitation of woman and children. Prohibition is the only solution.
Why is it a Right wing whacko that always has to be behind this?
How bout immorality? A married man who uses a prostitute is still cheating on his spouse.
I'm on the fence with this. If you leagalize it then you can tax it. Just as with marijuana, if you legalize it you can tax it.
I agree that a woman has a right to choose how she wishes to use her body (not to be confused with abortion which is out and out murder). It has to be regulated because of diseases and such but there is still a morality issue and to the guy who said the holy ghost bought a prostitute, you need to read your bible a little more thoroughly my friend.
To the rest of you. Name calling and finger pointing has never ever resulted in anything positive. I have noticed that the folks on the left do more name calling, more finger pointing and more blame throwing than anyone on the planet. Not all of you but most of you do this. It is a reflection of folks like Pelosi and Reid....wonderful leadershi these two exhibit. We are a nation divided and we must figure out a way to become "one United States of America" again....key word being UNITED.....come on folks....unless we the people start setting better examples and electing better leadership our government is going to take us over. It is already UNSUSTAINABLE and yet it continues to grow...who is going to pay all those salaries? You got it...the tax payer....so lets start parenting again...teaching our kids that drugs and prostitution are counter productive....lets start eliminating big government one step at a time and retake our country. Left or Right you must agree with this. I'm a conservative...not a republican...I stand for fiscal responsibility, freedom of religion and morality....
Legalize it and have control. Taxes would help the county.
Pimps also commit other crimes such as robbery, drug sales, murder, etc.
Final Solution: Publicly Execute the Pimps by firing squad! Then see how many boyz want to take their place.
Well to try to make a constructive comment on this post,..I would think maybe give them some money to survive on, and if the County wanted the input enough try and "deputise" them to work with Metro Vice unit and communicate and identify what Vice already knows,but can't get close enough to because the "life" doesn't know them for them to get close enough when maybe some of these kids may be able to....just a thought, I know some of these cops have already thought about this,... duhhh..but for some reason politics and political correct stands in the way...what ever....
God is dead. - Nietzsche
Nietzsche is dead. - God
"God is the true source of all evil." -- Nietzsche (or Elvis, forgot which one, maybe neither one)
"After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands." -- Friedrich Nietzsche 1888 - Ecce Homo, "Why I Am a Destiny"
This is the one charity that my wife and I give to every year. Its for homeless teens and it helps teens get off the streets and back in touch with thier families if its possible, puts clothes on thier backs and food in thier tummies. Its called NEVADA PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS TEENS look it up . Before you attack each other with your politics try help getting these girls off the streets. This has nothing to do with Obama or any other politician, this is a shame that it happens so try helping instead of slamming each other.
To: The uninformed taxpayer
Laws against juvenile prostitution are on the books. We have plenty of juvenile laws, laws that give law enforcement officers special powers when dealing with juvenile offenders and laws of arrest pertaining just to juveniles offenders.
The problem is two-fold, lack of enforcement and the juvenile court system. The rubber band has been stretched to the limit and is ready to break.
One possible solution is zero tolerance for enforcement and backing by the juvenile court system for swift incarceration.
Giving these kids a big sloppy kiss everytime they mess up is not effective and is very costly and promotes repeat offenders, our current system is not doing them any favors for future behavior.
Just an old cop reflecting,
Gordon Martines
Pimps should be charged as sex offenders and required to register as sex offenders!
Instead of the show "To Catch a Predator" they should do "To Catch a Pimp" because we need to expose these filthy pieces of garbage and let everyone know who these scumbags are and subject them to public humiliation....
futurestia -- so you want to bring back the pillory? Why not some dunking stools while you're at it? Then find some hysterical teenage girls and go on a witch hunt!
Dolt.
Dr Lee- So your solution would have law enforcement turn a blind eye as so many across the nation do with "prostituted children"? As you well know no system or facility is perfect, just look in the mirror. If a child will run away from your facility (which we need more of) they are obviously not ready for help from anyone. Stop playing the blame game as we all struggle to correct problems that started much earlier in these children's lives. HATE THE GAME, not the players!