If a bill introduced this session in the legislature passes, the fine for a first-time offender using a prostitute would jump from $150 to $1,500.

If a bill being considered by the Washington State Senate wins approval, the cost of patronizing a prostitute could increase tenfold — and that’s just for openers.

Senate Bill 2652, discussed on Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, would increase from $150  to $1,500 the fine paid by first-time offenders.

The amount would jump to $2,500 for second offenses and $5,000 for each additional offense.

The money would be used to support local efforts to discourage prostitution, including so-called “john schools” that educate offenders on the effects prostitution.

The amount would be mandatory, meaning judges would have no latitude in imposing a lower fine.

“What we’re trying to do is give local law enforcement more tools,” said Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines), the bill’s prime sponsor. “These programs are very expensive to do. This just gives them the resources they need to pay for them.”

“Finances are thin,” agreed King County Deputy Andy Conner. “Our budget in vice right now is essentially zero. Meanwhile, the problem is exploding in our community and many others.”

Conner said the additional funds — which the bill’s backers say could amount to $30,000 to $100,000 — would be used to help pay for Project Genesis, a 24-hour drop-in facility for prostitutes who seek to break away from the lifestyle.

“We want to create a viable prototype, some way to rehabilitate these ladies,” he said. “What it’s going to take to put the victims together is a full-range of services, and that costs a lot more money than we currently have.

“Who better to shoulder that expense than the people exploiting them in the first place?” Conner asked.

The only person testifying against the bill was Amy Muth, representing criminal defense attorneys.

“We’re more concerned than opposed,” she said, “and our concern is with the provision that judges be given no discretion in reducing these fines.

“We know that a disproportionate number of those individuals charged with these kinds of crimes are indigent,” Muth said, “and they simply do not have the means to pay these fines.”

“On the one hand, there’s a clear nexis in this case between the fine and the programs used to prevent that crime,” said Committee Chair Rep. Adam Kline (D-Seattle). “At the same time, when you burden people to that extent, you simply alienate them, and that’s not the best thing, either.”

This entry was posted on February 22, 2012 at 11:41 pm and is filed under Law, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.