How is Solicitation of Prostitution Defined in DC?
Solicitation of prostitution is the inviting, enticing, offering, persuading or agreeing to engage in prostitution. Solicitation is different from prostitution in that solicitation is the crime that people are charged with, while prostitution is the act that is being made illegal. And these definitions for both solicitation and prostitution apply to a person who is either receiving the services or offering the services. To gain a better understanding of this charge and how it is applied and charged consult with a DC solicitation lawyer today.
Prostitution vs Solicitation in DC
The definition of prostitution is the act of giving or receiving sexual contact or a sexual act in return for a fee. The reason why the charge of solicitation of prostitution exists is because, even though the act itself is illegal, the attempt to offer the act or persuading a person to agree to the act or enticing or inviting the act is the actual crime here. So even if the actual act of prostitution doesn’t take place, the soliciting of the prostitution is criminalized.
Common Ways Solicitation is Charged in DC
Solicitation charges almost always come up in a situation where one person is an undercover police officer and the other person, the person who ultimately gets arrested either is alleged to have offered services as a prostitute or is attempting to procure services of a prostitute.
Some scenarios where we see wrongful solicitation charges are in situations where an undercover officer jumps the gun and makes the arrest even when the suspect is only intending to pay for services that don’t qualify as sex acts or sexual contact, such as non-sexual escort services or massages.
Solicitation Investigations Prior to Arrest
The way that solicitation is investigated is through conversations between undercover police officers and individual suspects. Attorneys frequently see undercover officers who will go on to websites, such as Eros.com or Backpage.com, communicate through e-mails, text messages, phone calls, with people on these websites and then arrange meetings in hotels. When the suspect arrives at the hotel, the undercover officer would discuss the arrangement being made and once an agreement is reached the arrest would take place on the spot.
Why Is Having An Attorney Important In These Cases?
An attorney who is experienced with solicitation charges knows the kinds of resolutions that can be worked out and knows the players involved. Also, someone who has experience in these kinds of cases knows what kinds of facts and what kinds of evidence the prosecutors would need in order to be able to prove up their case and try to get you the best outcome.