The district attorney’s office last week launched a new policy that
pushes arrested prostitutes into counseling—but will the change
actually help sex workers get off the street?
On February 17, at a meeting of the city’s newly formed 82nd Avenue
Prostitution Advisory Council, East Precinct Police Commander Mike
Crebs handed out results of a survey filled out by prostitutes last
fall. The question “How long have you been a prostitute?” turned up
responses ranging from “first time” to “35 years.”
Until last week, arrested prostitutes were tried in community court,
where Deputy District Attorney J.R. Ujifusa says they tended to be
sentenced to community service or short stints in jail.
Ujifusa explains that the new plan removes the option of community
court. Instead, it offers a plea bargain to defendants who have a
previous prostitution-related conviction: They can enter counseling
with nonprofit addiction agency LifeWorks Northwest or face a trial. If
a jury finds the suspect guilty at trial, the district attorney will
recommend he or she be put on probation and most likely mandate
counseling anyway, as well as exclude the person from high prostitution
areas along 82nd and Sandy.
Either way, the aim of the new program is to encourage arrested
prostitutes to take counseling, says Ujifusa.
The city granted LifeWorks Northwest $250,000 in November to start
up a sex worker-specific counseling program—and while the group
currently only sees eight women for intensive counseling, it may treat
up to 60 this year. Nevertheless, shifting prostitution cases out of
community court and forcing prostitutes into counseling raises some red
flags.
“Supposedly this will let them get help,” says Public Defender Chris
O’Connor. “But I have an idea: Why not simply help them… A conviction
with probation is just another barrier.”
“Counseling is often something that sex workers ask for and desire,”
says Crystal Tenty, outreach worker for Portland Women’s Crisis Line.
“But I am a really huge advocate of choice and letting someone choose
whatever is right for their healing process, so I really don’t like the
idea that someone can be mandated to attend counseling.”
Tenty also says that it’s a shame women need to get arrested to
access LifeWorks’ counseling. Director of LifeWorks addiction
services, Beth Glisczinkski, says counseling is restricted to only
arrested women because otherwise requests for services would
“swamp” the program. In Gliscinkski’s experience,
mandating counseling can work well: “Saying ‘You have to do
this’ can help people make changes.”
Sex worker advocates also note that the $250,000 the city awarded
LifeWorks does nothing to target the root causes that force many women
onto the streets in the first place—like Portland’s lack of
affordable housing.
“There’s definitely a recurring theme of, ‘I just need a place to
stay tonight,'” said Multnomah County Health Department’s Jessica
Guernsey Camargo at the Prostitution Advisory Council meeting. “They
need a place to get out of the game.”
they should just legalize it if they really want them off the streets.
***”Beth Glisczinkski, says counseling is restricted to only arrested women because otherwise requests for services would “swamp” the program. In Gliscinkski’s experience, mandating counseling can work well: “Saying ‘You have to do this’ can help people make changes.”
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Is that her professional opinion as a counselor or her opinion as the recipient of $250,000 from the city paid to say that? I suspect she knows the opinion of the people paying the bills.
A person involved in prostitution who wants out of “the life” has to get arrested and run up a court and lawyer tab (on the public dime) before the city will offer help? Ridiculous.
Maybe the prostitutes should organize themselves into a soccer team so the city can come up with a few extra million for them?
It would be nice if in addition to counseling the rescued prostitutes were given career counseling, training, or tuition to PCC.