Police officers, in trying to enforce laws against consensual adult behavior, often set up sting operations to catch individuals suspected to be engaged in prostitution. Police commonly peruse online websites that promote what may be consensual sex in exchange for compensation. Law enforcement also patrols areas of the city known for prostitution and seize on suspicious people and vehicles. Circumstances leading to your arrest may have raised the suspicions of the arresting officer, but cannot hold up in the court of law.
Law Offices Of Segal & Segal can decipher the difference, and put in the legwork required to compile a strong case for your defense. Many years of legal experience have given the attorneys at Law Offices Of Segal & Segal an excellent understanding of the criminal justice system in Huntsville and the surrounding areas. Give us a call at (256) 533-4529 for a free consultation on your case.
Huntsville, Alabama Solicitation Lawyer
If you have been arrested for prostitution or solicitation, Law Offices Of Segal & Segal can help you maneuver the criminal justice system with knowledge, experience, and professionalism. As former prosecutors, Andrew and Sandra Segal understand the tactics used by law enforcement to catch those in the act of prostitution. We can pinpoint where the state has insufficient evidence or evidence collected in violation of your rights. Call us at (256) 533-4529 to discuss your case and the different options open to you.
Law Offices Of Segal & Segal represents clients across Madison County, Morgan County, Marshall County, Limestone County, and Jackson County. Call us today or send an online message to learn more about the charges against you.
Madison County Prostitution / Solicitation Information Center
- What acts can result in criminal charges?
- What consequences can a person face if convicted of these charges?
- Are there different charges for pimping or promoting?
Alabama Prostitution / Solicitation Laws
The definition of prostitution in Alabama is the commission of a sexual act or sexual contact for monetary consideration or other thing of value.
Committing an act of prostitution and soliciting prostitution are both crimes. The sexual act need not be committed before a crime takes place as the law also prohibits an agreement to exchange a sexual act for compensation.
Code of Alabama § 13A-12-121 also includes the following acts under its prohibited activities:
- Causing or aiding a person to commit or engage in prostitution
- Procuring or soliciting patrons for prostitution
- Providing persons or premises for prostitution purposes
- Receiving or accepting money or other thing of value pursuant to a prior agreement with any person whereby he or she participates or is to participate in the proceeds of any prostitution activity
- Operating or assisting in the operation of a house of prostitution or a prostitution enterprise
Penalties for Prostitution / Solicitation in Huntsville
Each of the above described actions is penalized as Class A misdemeanor which can be punished by up to a year in jail and fine up to $6,000. Your lawyer's priority is to keep you from being behind bars, and also to clear your record and name of any criminal offense. The long lasting consequences of a criminal conviction can cause major upheaval in your life. Employers, professional licensing boards, landlords, graduate schools and many other groups run background checks that can make or break their decision to take a chance on an individual.
Law Offices Of Segal & Segal will seek out the best option for you, including pre-trial intervention that require classes and a fine, but allow you to keep both the conviction and eventually the original indictment (arrest) off of your record.
Pimping or Promoting Prostitution / Solicitation in Alabama
The law defines three degrees of punishment for those engaged in the promotion of prostitution, depending on certain circumstances like age of the individual committing the sexual act and the scale of the enterprise.
Promoting prostitution in the third degree means a person knowingly advances or profits from prostitution, however they are not themselves the person committing the sexual act. To advance prostitution, one must:
- Knowingly cause or aid a person to commit or engage in prostitution;
- Procure or solicit patrons for prostitution;
- Provide persons or premises for prostitution purposes; or
- Operate or assist in the operation of a house of prostitution or a prostitution enterprise.
Profiting from prostitution occurs when an individual, acting other than as a prostitute, receives money or other property from the proceeds of prostitution activity.
Promoting prostitution in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year and $6,000 in fines. If the person indicted has a clean criminal record, jail time does not have to be a reality.
Promoting Prostitution in the second degree is a more serious offense and alleges that an individual played some part in a prostitution enterprise. The law states anyone who advances or profits from prostitution by managing, supervising, controlling or owning, either alone or in association with others, a house of prostitution or a prostitution business or enterprise involving prostitution activity by three or more prostitutes is guilty of a Class C felony.
Those discovered to be advancing or profiting from prostitution of a person less than 18 years of age will also be punished with a Class C felony. Class C felonies can be punished by one to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
Promoting prostitution in the first degree includes those who advance prostitution by compelling a person by force or intimidation to engage in prostitution, or profits from similar conduct by another.
Additionally, anyone who advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than 16 years of age may be convicted. These offenses receive a Class B felony sentence. Class B felonies in Alabama result in very serious prison terms ranging from 10 to 99 years and fines of up to $30,000.
Find the Best Prostitution Lawyer in Huntsville
Andrew Segal and Sandra Segal have decades of combined experience practicing law and devote themselves passionately to every client's case. Call us at (256) 533-4529 or send an online message to schedule a free consultation to discuss your charges.
With The Law Offices Of Segal & Segal, you will have attorneys with many years of practice and research of the application of law in Huntsville as well as the surrounding communities of Decatur, Madison, Meridianville, Moores Mill, Hazel Green, and New Hope.