Prostitution in Nevada

Nevada issue of stop Legalize Prostitution

Nevada issue of stop Legalize Prostitution

Prostitution in Nevada

Prostitution is considered to be part of Nevada's frontier heritage and dates back to 1859 when silver was being mined at the legendary Comstock Mine but it is also considered as the unethical activity. Since 1971 brothels in Nevada have had formal state approval. Prostitution is legal in 11 of 17 counties in Nevada, however most of the people in the countries have the negative opinion about the prostitution in Nevada as it is against the ethics of the society and also the religions. It is controlled by state statutes and city and county ordinances. Brothels are considered a local option but state law prohibits them in Clark County where Las Vegas is located. They are also prohibited in Reno and Carson City, the two next largest cities in Nevada. Brothels are located in places with populations of 500—8000 and in rural areas. Although they are prohibited in Las Vegas and Carson City, they can be found along the closest borders of adjoining counties of all three cities. Currently there are 37 legal brothels in Nevada. No women are allowed to engage in prostitution in any of the bars or casinos in areas where prostitution is legal. Prices in the brothels tend to be cheaper and independent prostitutes cannot compete with these prices. Brothel prostitution is based on high volume.

There are 350 licensed prostitutes in Nevada. More than one third of them work at the Mustang Ranch in Northern Nevada, the state's largest brothel. The brothel in Southern Nevada in which the author conducted interviews employs around 20 women ranging in age from 18 to 38.

Community Response to Stop Legalize Prostitution

In Nevada there is general tolerance and even acceptance of prostitution by the public. The main reasons for this approval are control achieved through confining prostitution to certain areas and control over venereal disease achieved through weekly medic al inspections.

The main opposition to prostitution in Nevada has come from fundamentalist church groups. Since the legislature formally codified the local option on brothels except in Clark County, a number of lawmakers have tried to ban all brothels. In 1981 there was a bill to outlaw brothels within 25 miles of a city with a population of more than 60,000. This would have included both Las Vegas and Reno. The bill didn't pass, however, in ...