Violence and Entry in Prostitution Markets: Implications for Prostitution Law

This chapter explores three issues in prostitution markets and their implications for prostitution law: bargaining, coercion, and entry. The discussion is organized around three different views on violence: prostitution as a product of violence, voluntary entry into prostitution markets, and transactional coercion. The chapter pays special attention to transactional coercion, which acknowledges the fact that violence against prostitutes is not restricted to pimps and traffickers. A simple model of bargaining and coercion in prostitution markets is proposed, and the various types of coercion that arise in this model are analyzed within the context of prostitution laws. More specifically, the chapter considers how prostitution laws affect coercion and bargaining between prostitutes, johns, pimps, and law-enforcement officers. It also examines which law reduces overall transactional coercion, irrespective of whom it is exercised by, and thus improves the work environment and safety of prostitutes.