CRIM 2652 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Public-Order Crime, Brothel, Street Prostitution
14 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
October 4
Prostitution in Canada
1
1. Defining prostitution
2. The historial deelopet of Caadas prostitutio las
3. Current laws governing prostitution in Canada
4. The profile of women who are involved in street prostitution
5. The dangers of street prostitution
6. The 2010/2012 Bedford case: public harms vs. harms to women
7. In class test, October 25th
Defining Prostitution
- Ehage of seual series for oe ut…
o Acceptance of other goods and benefits in lieu of cash?
o Marrying for financial security?
- Victimless Crime
o Consensual transaction: exchange between willing partners of goods and services
o Public order crime not interpersonal crime
o Justification of criminalization: PUBLIC harms (not private, interpersonal harms)
▪ Public morals
▪ Public health
▪ Public order
Historial Deelopet of Caadas Prostitution Laws
- Canadian approach modeled on 18th century English common law provisions re: bawdy houses
houses of ill-fae ad agra
- English System: criminalization of prostitution based on public harms (Canada)
- Continental System: regulation not criminal prohibition (e.g. Holland and Denmark) based
largely on public health
Legislative History
- Vagrancy statues of Nova Scotia Act of 1759
o To remove homeless, destitute, lewd and other undesirables from the street
- Lower Canada Act of 1839
o all oo prostitutes or ight alkers ot giig a satisfator aout of theseles
and those frequenting brothels
o 1858 extended to inmates of bawdy houses
- 1892 CCC until 1972: Vagrancy Provisions
o Bawdy houses, streetwalking, living off the avails and exploitation of prostitution
o status offee; feale offee
- 1972 Soliciting Law
o S.195.1 made it an offence for anyone to solicit in a public place for the purpose of
prostitution
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
October 4
Prostitution in Canada
2
- 1983 provisions clarified gender neutrality
- 1978 SCC Hutt decision
o Soliciting must e pressig ad persistet
o Police resistance, public outcry
The Politics of Reform
- Interest groups
o Businesses
o Hotels
o Middle class professional property owners
o Residential groups
o Woes groups
o Police
Major Issues/Concerns
1- Business/Property Owners/Residential Groups: Public Nuisance Concerns
2- Woes Groups: prostitutio as oppressio, protetio of hildre oug oe
3- Police: crime control and enforcement
CURRENT LAWS GOVERNING PROSTITUTION OFFENCES IN CANADA
Bill C-49: The Communication Law (1985)
1. Every person who in a public place or in any place open to public view
a. Stops or attempts to stop any motor vehicle
b. Impedes the free flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic or ingress to or egress from premises
adjacent to that place
c. Stops or attempts to stop any person or in any manner communicates or attempts to
communicate with any person for the purpose of engaging in prostitution or of obtaining
the sexual services of a prostitute is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction
2. In this section, puli plae iludes a plae to hih the puli hae aess as of right or
invitation, express or implied, and any motor vehicle located in a public place or in any place
open to public view.
The CCC prohibits the activities associated with prostitution:
s. 213 (1)(c)
- communicating or attempting to communicate in public for the purpose of engaging in prostitution
s. 212 (1)(j)
- living on the avails or procuring
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Victimless crime: consensual transaction: exchange between willing partners of goods and services, public order crime not interpersonal crime. Justification of criminalization: public harms (not private, interpersonal harms: public morals, public health, public order. Canadian approach modeled on 18th century english common law provisions re: bawdy houses (cid:894)(cid:858)houses of ill-fa(cid:373)e(cid:859)(cid:895) a(cid:374)d (cid:448)agra(cid:374)(cid:272)(cid:455) English system: criminalization of prostitution based on public harms (canada) Continental system: regulation not criminal prohibition (e. g. holland and denmark) based largely on public health. Vagrancy statues of nova scotia act of 1759: to remove homeless, destitute, lewd and other undesirables from the street. Lower canada act of 1839 (cid:858)all (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)o(cid:374) prostitutes or (cid:374)ight (cid:449)alkers (cid:374)ot gi(cid:448)i(cid:374)g a satisfa(cid:272)tor(cid:455) a(cid:272)(cid:272)ou(cid:374)t of the(cid:373)sel(cid:448)es(cid:859) and those frequenting brothels: 1858 extended to inmates of bawdy houses. 1892 ccc until 1972: vagrancy provisions: bawdy houses, streetwalking, living off the avails and exploitation of prostitution (cid:858)status(cid:859) offe(cid:374)(cid:272)e; fe(cid:373)ale offe(cid:374)(cid:272)e.
