| Southeast Seminole Heights An unofficial website Home / Prostitution Update / Prostitution Links |
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| Solutions to help deal with the problem of prostitution in Southeast Seminole Heights and the City of Tampa | |||||||
| 1. All parties in the criminal justice system should understand that street level prostitution is a problem that needs to be dealt with. 2. A multi-agency task force needs to be created to address the issues from a systems level rather than piecemeal. This task force should consist of representatives from Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (and other police agencies), State's Attorney, Probation, Department of Juvenile Justice, appropriate Social Service Agencies/Treatment Providers, City and County Government, other agencies such as Code Enforcement or Health Department, and Judges if appropriate. Consideration should be made to have some academic representatives such as from USF departments of Social Work and Criminology. This task force should look at all facets of the problem, and use efforts that have worked in past but also try new creative ideas. 3. (POLICE) Increase the arrests of johns, prostitutes, pimps and those who profit from prostitution such as their boyfriends and husbands, bars, motels and etc. 4. (STATE'S ATTORNEY OFFICE) Standardize motions for court orders of convicted prostitutes and johns. The requested orders for prostitutes should include requiring them to enter into a treatment program designed to turn their life around. The court order should also include requiring substance abuse and domestic violence assessment and treatment. Most importantly the court orders should restrict the prostitute from returning to the area where they were arrested (mapping). The court orders for johns should include attendance in a john's school and restrict them from returning to the area they were arrested. It may need to include individual and marital counseling. 5. (POLICE) In coordination with the courts and probation authorities create a database of those arrested for prostitution activities to include information about any court order restricting them from any area. Then increase the number of field interviews of alleged prostitutes and johns and arrest those who have violated their court order. 6. (JUDGES.) Offenders should be sentenced to probation, which should include treatment as noted above and a restriction from returning to the area from which they were arrested. If probation is violated then the maximum jail sentence should be applied. 7. (MISDEMEANOR PROBATION OFFICERS) Hold those engaged in prostitution activity strictly to the terms of their probation. Work closely with the police and expedite violations. Make an extra effort to help the probationer enter into any treatment programs and provide appropriate social service referrals. 8. (MISDEMEANOR PROBATION OFFICERS) Create an instant violation system. Have an on-call probation officer available 24 hours a day, whom police can call to arrange for immediate violations of probationers, so police can take the person immediately to jail. 9. (NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES) Improve lighting around homes and businesses to remove dark areas that prostitutes can hide to avoid police. Clean up brushy areas and overgrown lots that provide another area for prostitutes to hide or to conduct business. Contact police every time a prostitute or john is observed or prostitution activity is noted. Businesses should work closely with police in the trespass-warning program. |
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