Nevada law requires that prostitutes registered in brothels be tested weekly (through a cervical sample) for gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis and monthly for HIV and syphilis; [20] In addition, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex. Brothel owners can be held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute tests positive for the virus. [21] Women work at least nine days per work period. [22] Currently, the number of legal brothels in Nevada is 21. Nevada is the only state in the United States to legalize prostitution. According to the revised Nevada statutes § 201.295, a prostitute is a person who performs various sexual acts to arouse or satisfy a person`s sexual desire for remuneration or other things of value, such as drugs, jewelry, electronic devices, and other items. State law defines « prostitution » as sexual conduct with another person for a fee, financial consideration, or other value. Escorts and escort services are legal in Nevada, but the law makes it clear that they are not synonymous with prostitutes or prostitution. Carson City, Nevada also prohibits prostitution.
It should be noted that working as a prostitute or recruiting a prostitute is illegal in all Nevada counties in any place that is not a licensed brothel or brothel. Unfortunately, tourists and other visitors to Las Vegas are not always aware of this, which can lead to legal problems. The confusion as to whether prostitution is legal in Vegas stems somewhat from Nevada`s unique laws regarding the subject, so we`ll cover some basics here. Las Vegas is located in Clark County and had a population of over 2 million in 2020. This alone blocks the legalization of prostitution in Las Vegas. Nevada has laws against prostitution outside of licensed brothels, against encouraging others to engage in prostitution, and against living off a prostitute`s income. Although prostitution is legal in some parts of Nevada, the state`s strict brothel laws are meant to keep everyone safe. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are among the industry`s top concerns.
To ensure that there are no criminal links to brothel businesses, a thorough background check is conducted on the people running the brothel and where the source of the funds comes from. This is to prevent criminals from laundering money or using illegal funds to invest in this type of business. Only when the State of Nevada is satisfied with background checks does brothels receive a license. Sometimes lawmakers try to introduce laws banning all prostitution in Nevada. These efforts are usually supported by casino owners and other large corporations who claim that legalized prostitution damages the image of the state. The Nevada Brothel Owners` Association, led by George Flint of Reno, opposed these laws. [76] [77] Rural legislators generally oppose these laws as well, although legal prostitution in brothels does not provide significant revenue to counties. Bob Herbert also explained that many brothel prostitutes are controlled by outside pimps: « Despite the fiction that they are `independent contractors,` most so-called legal prostitutes have pimps — the state-sanctioned pimps who run the brothels and, in many cases, a second pimp who controls every other aspect of their lives (and takes most of their legal income). » [70] Nevada is very specific about its laws regarding prostitution and brothels because it is a way for prostitutes to make a living, but in safety. If you have been charged with a prostitution-related crime, contact a trusted lawyer to make sure your legal rights are protected. Prostitution-related crimes can turn into a sex offender charge, which carries a social stigma that you certainly don`t want to have. Our experienced lawyers at The Defenders will inform you about the laws of prostitution in Nevada. However, there are currently no authorized brothels in Churchill, Esmeralda or Humboldt.
And the brothel sex industry is currently illegal in Clark County,11 Douglas County,12 Eureka County,13 Lincoln,14 Pershing County,15 Washoe County (including Reno)16 and Carson City17. Nevada`s unique status as the only state in the Union to legalize prostitution has returned to prominence as efforts to ban brothels emerge in some counties and the state`s most notorious brothel operator campaigns for a congressional seat. Prostitution is illegal in Clark, Washoe, Carson City, Pershing, Douglas, Eureka, and Lincoln counties. These include Las Vegas and Reno, as well as the state capital. A well-known opponent of legalized prostitution in Nevada was John Reese. At first, he pleaded on moral and religious grounds, but switched to tactics threatening his health, but had to give in to an impending defamation lawsuit. In 1994, he tried to get a license for a gay brothel in a thinly veiled attempt to mobilize opposition to all brothels. Five years later, he staged his own kidnapping near Mustang Ranch. [78] His efforts to collect enough signatures for the repeal of prostitution laws have so far failed.
Teri, a prostitute who worked in a Nevada brothel (and wants prostitution decriminalized), explained, « Brothel owners are worse than any pimp. They abuse and imprison women and are fully protected by the state. [61] In February 2011, U.S. Senator Harry Reid proposed making brothels illegal in Nevada. [83] [84] Under Nevada state law, any county with a population of up to 700,000 may permit brothels under the latest ten-year census[18] if it so wishes. [5] Cities of incorporation in counties that allow prostitution may further regulate or prohibit trafficking altogether. De Castroverde Accident & Injury Lawyers` legal team will work on your behalf to protect your rights and help you navigate the legal process. You can call us 24/7 to speak with a team member for a consultation at 702-805-2694. « Nevada needs to be known as the first place for innovation and investment — not the last place prostitution is still legal, » he said, adding that he met with business leaders shocked to learn there were brothels in Storey County. In June 2009, then-Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons signed the nation`s harshest sentences for child prostitution and pimping. Assembly Bill 380, which provides for fines of $500,000 for prostitutes under the age of 14 and $100,000 for trafficking prostitutes between the ages of 14 and 17. The House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously approved the bill, which entered into force on 1 October 2009.
[23] As of February 2018, there were 21 legal brothels[19] in the state, employing approximately 200 women at any given time. [43] In some areas, there are multi-family complexes with several separate brothels managed by the same owner. These include The Line in Winnemucca and Mustang Ranch in Storey County. In 1977, Nye County officials attempted to close Walter Plankinton`s chicken ranch as a public nuisance; Brothels did not need to be licensed in this district at the time, and several others were in operation. Plankinton filed a lawsuit, claiming that the state law of 1971 implicitly removed the assumption that brothels were in themselves a public nuisance. The Nevada Supreme Court accepted this interpretation in 1978,[6] and the Chicken Ranch was allowed to operate. In another case, brothel owners in Lincoln County protested when the county banned prostitution in 1978 after issuing licenses for seven years. However, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the county had the right to do so. [7] Currently, seven of Nevada`s 16 counties have active brothels (these are all rural counties). As of February 2018, there were 21 legal brothels. [19] It is often worth hiring a prostitution defense attorney to handle prostitution cases in Las Vegas. Whether it`s your first prostitution or recruitment offence or your fourth, our lawyer can work to reduce your charges to protect your cases and your future.
The state`s first brothels date back to Nevada`s early mining days in the 19th century. Elsewhere in the country, the sale of sexual services was not widely banned until the 20th century, but was subject to vagrancy and « roadside » bans that would have restricted the activities of prostitutes outside of indoor brothels.
