Blackstone is a town in southern Worcester County, Massachusetts, on the Rhode Island border. Its population was 9,200 at the 2020 census. It is considered to be within the Providence, RI metropolitan area. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well documented problems in the area for years. A recent example occurred in May, 2021, when the Blackstone Police Department arrested a woman in connection with an ongoing prostitution investigation. She was charged with Engaging in Sexual Conduct for a Fee. She had been arrested without incident at her home after allegedly agreeing to engage in sexual conduct in exchange for money with an undercover police officer. The sting was part of an ongoing investigation by the Blackstone Police Department in cooperation with the Blackstone Valley Drug and Counter Crimes Task Force. It was known to police and there was a lengthy history of calls for service at her home. She was arraigned in Uxbridge District Court. Throughout the county, there have been numerous cases of sex trafficking and violence against prostituted persons.

Among the approaches used to combat such problems are those targeting consumer level demand for commercial sex, which drives all prostitution and sex trafficking.  For example, in December, 2021, three men were arrested by Blackstone police in a prostitution reverse sting. Each was charged with Sexual Conduct for a Fee. The sting was conducted on December 30 by officers with the Blackstone Police Department in cooperation with the Blackstone Valley Drug and Counter Crimes Task Force. The three sex buyers were arraigned in Uxbridge District Court on  and were released on personal recognizance. A fourth suspect was also charged, but charges were dismissed by an Uxbridge District Court judge following arraignment. The sting operation focused on the alleged solicitation of sexual conduct in exchange for cash via social media. The investigation was initiated after Blackstone Police Department detectives developed information regarding alleged prostitution solicitation from a previous case.  The Blackstone Chief of Police said that the operation was intended to send a strong message to individuals soliciting prostitution in the community, and that “…not only will it not be tolerated, but our department will proactively seek out and arrest those participating in these crimes.”  He also said that when these types of activities occur it has an effect on the safety, well being and quality of life of everyone in those neighborhoods.

Employment loss is another consequence of buying sex that has occurred in the city.  For example, in August, 2003, a man resigned as chairman of the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee two weeks after being arrested in a prostitution sting in Woonsocket, RI.  The school administration office released the sex buyer’s resignation letter, in which he also sought a break from “active participation” with the committee. Blackstone and Hopedale, MA officials called for the man to go even further and step down altogether from his public roles in their towns. The man also was employed by the Hopedale school system, where he remained employed but was placed on probationary employment status. The Hopedale Town Coordinator had said publicly that the man should resign as the school system’s technology director.