Palm Beach County, FL
Categories:
Tactics Used |
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---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Palm Beach County is a county of roughly 1.3 million residents, located on the eastern shore of Florida. Prostitution and sex trafficking are longstanding problems in the area. Several cases of targeted assaults and murders of individuals engaged in prostitution have also been documented in the county.
In addition to conducting city-level efforts in the communities of Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, North Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Greenacres, Jupiter, local law enforcement and government officials have also established demand-reduction programs at the county level. These efforts include mandatory community service for some convicted sex buyers through the county courts, and at least two john schools in the last 25 years. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and some of the communities within the county, publicize the identities of arrested sex buyers.
Recent effort to attach the consumer-level demand that provides the revenue for all sex trafficking include a large scale investigation and enforcement actions occurring from October 2018 through February, 2019. The investigation into human trafficking and prostitution occurring in a storefront “spa” brothel resulted in the arrest of 25 male sex buyers, some of whom had their identities publicly revealed. The investigation began in response to a tip from a Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigator in October 2018, alleging that managers at a Day Spa were trafficking women, forcing them to perform sex acts for money. That tip prompted an investigation by the Jupiter Police Department, during which surveillance at the parking lot observed a total of 97 men exiting the building in six days (while no females entered or exited). Then, a trash pull by detectives yielded a spreadsheet of financial records showing names of presumed customers and dates of transactions. Probable cause was established that allowed detectives to obtain warrants and place secret surveillance cameras inside the massage parlor. The videos captured sex acts and confirmed customer identities.
Most of the 25 men face charges for soliciting prostitution. Depending on the circumstances of the individual events, some of the men may not be booked into the Palm Beach County jail, and will not have mug shots taken and available for publicizing. Residents of Palm Beach County receive a notice in the mail with a summons to appear in court; out of state residents may have warrants issued for their arrest in Florida. An arrest warrant does not guarantee a booking photo in Palm Beach County if there is a misdemeanor charge only. Other agencies in Florida may handle charging and booking differently; e.g., in related investigations, Martin County and Indian River County agencies posted photos of the alleged sex buyers.
Soliciting another to commit prostitution is punishable as a second-degree misdemeanor for a first offense and a first-degree misdemeanor for a subsequent offense. Through 2019 in Florida, a first offense carries a jail sentence of up to 60 days, and a second offense carries a sentence of up to one year. Under Florida Statutes, punishment options for people charged for the first time with soliciting a prostitute may include a diversion program that may involve performing up to 100 hours of community service and attending a course on the harmful effects of prostitution and sex trafficking “if such programs exist in the judicial circuit in which the offender is sentenced.”
John School
Palm Beach County has had a john school program since the 1990s, and presents an option for those arrested in Jupiter and elsewhere in the County. In February 1990, the Palm Beach County Circuit Court developed a prostitution diversion program, named the “Risk Education for Sex Offenders” program. Limited to first-time offenders, the course offered men arrested for soliciting prostitutes the option of completing the program in lieu of jail time. The course was composed of a two-hour class, a HIV blood test, mandatory attendance at four court hearings for prostituted women, and “reading a psychological profile of a prostitute who was diagnosed with AIDS.” Although it is unclear how long the aforementioned program remained in effect, in October 2009 the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that a second school– the Prostitution Impact Prevention Education (PIPE) program– had been offering a diversion option to johns since 2000. Between 2000 and 2009, 3,000 sex buyers reportedly completed the program. Comprised of a five-hour lecture with “speakers from law enforcement, mental and physical health experts, and at times a former prostitute lecture in the class about the dark side of hiring a lady (or gentleman) of the night, or being one,” it allowed first-time offenders who complete the course, submit to a STD test, and avoid re-arrest the opportunity to expunge the charge from their record and avoid a conviction for solicitation. As of 2009, the course was being offered 3-4 times a year, in classes of ~75 participants. It was also offered in both Spanish and English.
In February 1990, the Palm Beach County Circuit Court developed the county’s first prostitution diversion program, dubbed the Risk Education for Sex Offenders program. Limited to first-time offenders, the course offered the men the option of completing the program in lieu of jail time. The course was composed of a two-hour class, a HIV blood test, mandatory attendance at four court hearings for prostituted women, and “reading a psychological profile of a prostitute who was diagnosed with AIDS.”
Although it is unclear how long the aforementioned program remained in effect, in October 2009 the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that a second school– the Prostitution Impact Prevention Education (PIPE) program– had been offering a diversion option to johns since 2000. Between 2000 and 2009, 3,000 sex buyers reportedly completed the program. Comprised of a five-hour lecture with “speakers from law enforcement, mental and physical health experts, and at times a former prostitute lecture in the class about the dark side of hiring a lady (or gentleman) of the night, or being one,” it allowed first-time offenders who complete the course, submit to a STD test, and avoid re-arrest the opportunity to expunge the charge from their record and avoid a conviction for solicitation. As of 2009, the course was being offered 3-4 times a year, in classes of ~75 participants. It was also offered in both Spanish and English.
Key Partners
- Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department
- Palm Beach County Circuit Court
- Palm Beach County Health Department
- Prostitution Impact Prevention Education (PIPE) Program
- Risk Education for Sex Offenders
Key Sources
- John School:
- “Hookers, Clients Take Class to Avoid Jail,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, April 1 1991.
- “Prostitution Prevention Program Hooks Johns,” Palm Beach Post, October 18 2000.
- “Sheriff’s Office Lures ‘Johns’ to Class,” Palm Beach Post, July 11 2001.
- “Pay For Sex, Get Lesson Instead,” Tampa Tribune, October 7 2001.
- “Tackling Demand for Prostitution,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, May 5 2003.
- “School for ‘Johns’ Tries to Scare Sex Solicitors Straight,” Palm Beach Post, July 23 2006.
- “Class Teaches about Risks of Prostitution,” Palm Beach Post, December 26 2009.
- https://www.palmbeachpost.com/schooling-johns-how-palm-beach-county-handles-prostitution-arrests (2019)
- https://www.theledger.com/human-trafficking-probes-focus-target-johns (2019)
- Street-Level Reverse Stings, shaming:
- “100 Arrested in Prostitution Sweep,” Palm Beach Post, September 24 1986.
- https://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article (2011)
- https://www.palmbeachpost.com/article/20110703/NEWS (2011)
- https://www.pbso.org/weekend-work-operation-heat-streets/ (2016)
- Investigation of Brothel Using Video Evidence to Arrest Sex Buyers; Shaming:
- http://www.espn.com/nfl/patriots-owner-robert-kraft-charged-solicitation-prostitution (2019)
- https://www.nytimes.com/robert-kraft-jupiter-orchids-arrest.html (2019)
- https://www.cnbc.com/new-england-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-charged-with-soliciting-prostitution.html (2019)
- https://www.wptv.com/palm-beach-county/jupiter/how-jupiter-detectives-gathered-evidence-in-prostitution-sting (2019)
- https://www.nytimes.com/robert-kraft-nfl.html (2019)
- https://www.bostonherald.com/summons-issued-as-kraft-prostitution-charges-move-forward/ (2019)
- https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/state/who-are-the-264-men-arrested-in-the-florida-day-spa (2019)
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Sweep of Salons Nets 22,” Miami Herald, September 10 1988.
- “36 Arrested in County Prostitution Sweep,” Palm Beach Post, July 19 1990.
- Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Forcing Wife to Prostitution Charged to Man,” Palm Beach Post, July 30 1958.
- “Man Charged with Extortion,” Boca Raton News, July 28 1986.
- “Feds Bust State Sex Slavery Ring”, Miami Herald, April 24 1998.
- “Man Admits He Enslaved Young Women”, Miami Herald, April 10 1999.
- “Enslaved Women Could Share in $1 Million Restitution”, Miami Herald, April 10 1999.
- “6 Men Get Prison Time, Fine in Sex Slavery Case”, Miami Herald, April 19 1999.
- “Men Ordered to Pay Former Sexual Slaves”, Mount Airy News, April 19 1999.
- “Six-Figure Bail Set in Prostitution Slave Case; Judge Dismisses Charge Against One of 3 at Hearing”, Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, November 26 2008.
- “West Palm Beach Massage Parlor Owner Charged with Money Laundering, Forcing Women into Prostitution”, Palm Beach Post, April 19 2010.
- “West Palm Beach Woman Faces Life Sentence for Sex Trafficking”, Palm Beach Post, April 12 2012.
- “Human Sex Trafficking ‘a Big Problem’ in Palm Beach County,” NBC/WPTV-TV 5, May 13 2013.
- “Sex Trafficker Admits Guilt, Faces 15 Years,” Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, June 26 2015.
- “Palm Beach Couple that Pimped out Underage Girls Sentenced to Federal Prison,” New Times Broward-Palm Beach, July 20 2015.
- Documented Violence against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Delray Police Seeking Robber of Prostitute,” Palm Beach Post, February 3 1982.
- “Rape Suspect Could Have Struck Twice,” Palm Beach Post, February 5 1982.
- “State Board Considering Sentencing; Delray Man Makes Appeal for Life Imprisonment,” Palm Beach Post, November 9 1983.
- “Man Robbed by Prostitute,” Boca Raton News, March 12 1984.
- “Man Beats, Robs Prostitute,” Boca Raton News, January 4 1991.
- “Delray Prostitute Shot Dead Outside Her Home,” Boca Raton News, February 22 1994.
- “Former Cop Charged in Prostitute’s Death,” Lakeland Ledger, March 5 1994.
- “Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty in Slaying; Prostitute Reported Having Sex with Delray Ex-Cop,” Boca Raton News, December 14 1994.
- “Man Arrested in Delray Rape, Beating,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, July 11 1995.
- “Life Term Given in Sexual Assaults”, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, June 18 2002.
- “Authorities Charge Man with Beating Prostitute; Officials Say Suspect May Be Responsible for at Least 13 Attacks,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, September 24 2009.
- “Lake Worth Man Charged with Rapes Seeks Speedy Trial”, NBC/WPTV-TV 5, June 13 2011.
- “Man, 80, Robbed while Visiting Prostitute in Boca, Police Say,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, March 25 2014.
- “Boynton Woman Found Dead Linked to Escort Web Site,” CBS/WGCL-TV 46, June 12 2014.
- “Jurors Hear Taped Statement from Man Accused of Killing Cross-Dressing Prostitute,” Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, June 16 2015.
- https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/national/florida-prostitute-accused-of-setting-up-customer-to-rob-him (2018)
State | Florida |
Type | County |
Population | 1266451 |
Location |
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