Madisonville is a city in Hopkins County, Kentucky. It is located along Interstate 69 in the state’s Western Coal Fields region. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city, surrounding communities, and in other areas of the county. This activity, and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is sex trafficking. For example, in 2013, a woman was arrested and charged with a range of crimes related to running a sex trafficking operation. This included sexually exploiting vulnerable victims as young as 13 years of age. In 2021, a woman was arrested and charged with prostitution and human trafficking.

Demand reduction tactics have been used to reduce prostitution and sex trafficking locally. Identity disclosure is often used as a demand reduction tactic. For example, in July 2006, a man was arrested on prostitution charges, and his identity was disclosed in news releases. Madisonville police say the 27-year-old man offered money to several men, in exchange for performing sex acts on them. The incidents took place at several different business parking lots around Madisonville. The defendant was bailed out of jail the next day.

Police often set up web-based stings, in order to arrest possible sex buyers. For example, in July 2014, Madisonville Police charged two people for soliciting prostitution online. According to officers, they received a tip about an advertisement for prostitution on Craigslist. Detectives then set up the sting operation. The suspects were cited as a result of the investigation, one was charged with the solicitation of prostitution and possession of a controlled substance, and the other was charged with promoting prostitution.