ted attempts to suppress it" ("Street Cleaning" 24). Another reason why some citizens are calling for the decriminalization of prostitution is that it would greatly reduce the transmission of STDs. Legalized prostitution has shown that prostitutes who work in brothels practice safe sex and are less likely to contract and transmit STDs. As indicated in the article entitled, "Prostitution": George Flint, director of the Nevada Brothel Association, points with pride to the 20,000 monthly AIDS tests that have been performed on legal prostitutes since tests were required in 1986, with HIV showing up only among job applicants. Similarly, not a single case of AIDS turned up in a 1991 survey of 7,000 tests on 246 legal prostitutes in Nevada from 1982 to 1989. By contrast, of 700 illegal prostitutes arrested in 1990 for soliciting in Nevada, 10 percent tested positive for HIV (Street Cleaning 36). Many brothels in Nevada also require their customers to go through an exam before business is able to proceed. This practice of screening customers adds to the record of safe sex in legal prostitution. With this in mind, brothels are able to control, to an extent, the statistics of STDs in legal prostitution. In summary, legal prostitution is a safer alternative to street prostitution because customers and job applicants are screened for STDs. Another benefit of legal prostitution is the reduction of violent crimes. Almost all brothels located in Nevada provide security for their workers. This creates a safe working environment for the prostitutes. Crimes against prostitutes such as robbery, kidnapping, rape, battery, and/or homicide are greatly reduced. Security is not only for the prostitutes, but it is also for the customers. This decreases the chances of prostitutes "rolling" their clients. Most brothels also enforce a drug-free policy, which also adds to the reduction in violent crimes. A major advantage to legal prostitution is government regulat...
