Condoms as evidence of prostitution in the United States and the criminalization of sex work

Wurth, Margaret; Schleifer, Rebecca; McLemore, Megan; Todrys, Katherine; Amon, Joseph J

doi:10.7448/ias.16.1.18626

Cited by 34 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…(Strathdee et al, 2010) Likewise, the use of condoms as evidence of sex work by law enforcement may reduce FSWs’ condom carriage and subsequent use with clients. (Wurth, Schleifer, McLemore, Todrys, & Amon, 2013) Harms within the risk environment may be most pronounced for FSW-PWIDs who work and live in the nexus of these risk environments and who may be more hidden in their sex work and drug use so as to avoid encounters with police. (Deering et al, 2013)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and recent drug use intensifies sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes among female sex workers in the Russian Federation

Wirtz¹,

Peryshkina²,

Mogilniy³

et al. 2015

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Background Female sex workers (FSW) and people who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for HIV infection, with FSW-PWID at even greater risk. HIV-related research often focuses on the primary mode of transmission –sexual or parenteral transmission for FSW and PWID, respectively- with less known on how sex work and injection drug use (IDU) are collectively associated with the risk environment experienced by sex workers. We investigated this relationship among FSW in three Russian cities. Methods In 2011, FSWs (N=754) in Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Kazan were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and completed a survey and rapid HIV screening. Multivariable models evaluated the role of injection history (classified as active: last 6 months, former: prior to last 6 months, and never) with a set of sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes. Results IDU was common: 11% actively injected drugs and 11% were former injectors. HIV infection was most prevalent among active injectors (AOR: 6.7; 95% CI:2.4–18.9) and former injectors (AOR:4.5; 95%CI:1.7–11.6), compared to non-injectors. Some 6–8% of non-injecting FSWs reported recent physical or sexual client violence and 23% police extortion. Compared to these non-injectors, active injecting was associated with unprotected anal sex (AOR: 2.8, 95%CI:1.2–6.4), client violence (AOR: 7.3, 95%CI:2.1–24.7), and police extortion (AOR: 3.0 95%CI:1.5–5.9%). Self-reported sexual and structural risk outcomes were also more prevalent among active compared to former injectors; however, few differences existed between former and non-injectors. Conclusions FSW experience sexual, structural, and HIV risk outcomes and these risks are amplified for actively injecting FSWs. FSW who stopped injecting drugs demonstrated risk profiles closer to those of sex workers who had no history of injection. HIV prevention programs and outreach can provide opportunities to include harm reduction interventions and linkage to treatment for FSW to move FSWs towards lower risk environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and recent drug use intensifies sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes among female sex workers in the Russian Federation

Wirtz¹,

Peryshkina²,

Mogilniy³

et al. 2015

International Journal of Drug Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…11,14 Neighborhood patterns of police surveillance may serve as a barrier to accessing care for other marginalized populations such as substance users and sex workers, as these criminalized populations may avoid seeking clean needles or care for fear of punishment. 9,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The greater likelihood of experiencing police violence exists alongside widely reported poor health outcomes among African Americans, such as higher rates of cardiovascular illness and earlier onset of disease than their white counterparts. 22 In response to popular pressure to address police misconduct, federal, state, and city governments are proposing various policy reforms-such as body and vehicle cameras, independent prosecutors, and civilian review boards.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics, Police Accountability, and Public Health: Civilian Review in Newark, New Jersey

McGregor

2015

J Urban Health

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Police brutality, a longstanding civil rights issue, has returned to the forefront of American public debate. A growing body of public health research shows that excessive use of force by police and racial profiling have adverse effects on health for African Americans and other marginalized groups. Yet, interventions to monitor unlawful policing have been met with fierce opposition at the federal, state, and local levels. On April 30, 2015, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey signed an executive order establishing a Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to monitor the Newark Police Department (NPD). Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examined how advocates and government actors accomplished this recent policy change in the face of police opposition and after a 50-year history of unsuccessful attempts in Newark. Drawing on official public documents, news media, and interviews conducted in April and May 2015, I propose that: (1) a Department of Justice investigation of the NPD, (2) the activist background of the Mayor and his relationships with community organizations, and (3) the momentum provided by the national Black Lives Matter movement were pivotal in overcoming political obstacles to reform. Examining the history of CCRB adoption in Newark suggests when and where advocates may intervene to promote policing reforms in other US cities.

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“…For instance, frequent arrest, crackdowns, and move along-tactics that displace FSW to unfamiliar areas can increase vulnerability to violence and move women further away from outreach and HIV prevention services (Kate Shannon et al 2009) and are associated with client violence (Footer 2018). Condom confiscation can prompt unprotected sex and has been associated with STI infection (Erausquin, Reed, and Blankenship 2011;Wurth et al 2013). A large proportion of street-based FSW in settings including the U.S. are also illicit drug users and regularly face the dual risk of negative police interactions and arrest associated with drug use (Beletsky et al 2012;Werb et al 2011;Odinokova et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnographic exploration of factors that drive policing of street-based female sex workers in a U.S. setting - identifying opportunities for intervention.

Footer¹,

Silberzahn

Lim

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Building on a broader sociological discourse around policing approaches towards vulnerable populations, increasing public health and human rights evidence points to policing practices as a key health determinant, particularly among street-based sex workers. Despite the importance of policing as a structural health determinant, few studies have sought to understand the factors that underlie and shape harmful policing practices towards sex workers. This study therefore aimed to explore the drivers for policing attitudes and practices towards street-based cisgender female sex workers.Methods: Drawing on ethnographic methods, 280 hours of observations with police patrol and 10 stakeholder interviews with senior police leadership in Baltimore City, USA were carried out to better understand the drivers for policing strategies towards cisgender female sex workers. Analysis was data- and theory-driven, drawing on the concepts of police culture and complementary criminological and sociological literature that aided exploration of the influence of the ecological and structural environment on policing practices.Results: Ecological factors at the structural (e.g., criminalization), organizational (e.g., violent crime control), community and individual level (e.g., stigmatizing attitudes) emerged as key to shaping individual police practices and attitudes towards cisgender female sex workers in this setting. Findings indicate senior police support for increased alignment with public health and human rights goals. However, the study highlights that interventions need to move beyond individual officer training and address the broader structural and organizational setting in which harmful police practices towards sex work operate. Conclusions: A more in-depth understanding of the circumstances that drive law enforcement approaches to street-based sex work is critical to the collaborative design of interventions with police in different settings. In considering public health-police partnerships to address the rights and health of sex worker populations in the U.S. and elsewhere, this study supports existing calls for decriminalization of sex work, supported by institutional and policy reforms, neighborhood-level dialogues that shift the cultural landscape around sex work within both the police and larger community, and innovative individual-level police trainings.

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Condoms as evidence of prostitution in the United States and the criminalization of sex work

Cited by 34 publications

References 7 publications

Current and recent drug use intensifies sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes among female sex workers in the Russian Federation

Current and recent drug use intensifies sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes among female sex workers in the Russian Federation

Politics, Police Accountability, and Public Health: Civilian Review in Newark, New Jersey

An ethnographic exploration of factors that drive policing of street-based female sex workers in a U.S. setting - identifying opportunities for intervention.

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