NCJ Number
208594
Date Published
December 2004
Length
182 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings and recommendations from an evaluation of the impact of Queensland's (Australia) Prostitution Act 1999, which aimed to foster a highly regulated licensed brothel industry.
Abstract
The intent of the legislation is to so regulate the prostitution industry that the quality of life for local communities will be ensured, corruption and organized crime will be eliminated from the industry, and the health and safety of the community will be protected. Although prostitutes operating alone were already legal in Queensland, the 1999 act fostered the growth of a legal and safer alternative to sole operators, i.e., licensed brothels, in an attempt to counter some of the problems under the current system of regulation. The act requires the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) to evaluate the effectiveness of the act in achieving it aims; this report fulfills this requirement. The CMC collected and collated information from a variety of sources with information on and experience in the implementation of the act from its beginning. The CMC concluded that Queensland currently has a safe and effective legal brothel industry, although it is much smaller than originally envisioned. The brothels provide a safe and healthy option for sex workers who choose to work in the industry as well as for the clients who use their services. There is no evidence of corruption or organized crime within the legal industry, and the impact of the brothels on the community has been minimal. Still, minor amendments to the act would help to ensure the legal industry's continued viability and reduce the incentives for the illegal industry to continue. 91 references and appended Queensland Criminal Justice Commission's 1991 recommendations for reform of prostitution-related activities, brothel license conditions and manager certificate, list of key informants for the evaluation, summaries of Queensland-based prostitution research, and data from the CMC 2004 survey of sex workers