It wouldn’t be summertime without a new wave of interest in the issue of prostitution in the city.
This time around, it’s City Councilor Jimmy Ferrera who’s taking up the charge. Tonight, the Council will vote on proposed home-rule legislation, sponsored by Ferrera, that would impose a mandatory one-year sentence for anyone convicted of engaging in prostitution—seller or buyer—in Springfield. As home-rule legislation, the measure would also need the approval of the mayor and state Legislature.
Under Mass. General Law, convicted prostitutes and johns “shall be punished by imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 1 year or by a fine of not more than $500 or by both such imprisonment and fine, whether such sexual conduct occurs or not.”
Last week, Ferrera called prostitution “a serious problem in the city of Springfield,” one that affects economic development and quality of life for residents. He gets lots of phone calls from residents concerned about street prostitution in their neighborhood, he told the Advocate, adding that it leads to other problems, such as drug activity.
In an interview with Channel 40 reporter Ray Hershel, Springfield Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Delaney suggested that the cause and effect actually runs the other way. “The only way you can cut down on prostitution is to end the flow of heroin coming into Springfield,” Delaney told Hershel.
Similarly, opponents of the petition point out that there are complex reasons someone turns to prostitution—ones that aren’t likely to be addressed by locking up the people driven to do it. Ellen Graves, of the Springfield activist group Arise for Social Justice, last week told the Reminder’s Mike Dobbs that prostitution is largely driven by poverty and drug addiction, and suggested the hefty cost of locking people up would be better spent on anti-poverty programs and addiction treatment. “Going to jail is not going to solve a thing,” she said.
“Only in Springfield would we have some type of group trying to defend prostitution,” Ferrera told the Advocate. Prostitution, he added, is not a “victimless crime”; he believes it victimizes the larger society, from driving businesses out of the city to adding to the cost of public health care.
Ferrera also rejected concerns raised by some about the social cost of imprisoning women convicted of prostitution—almost $38,000 a year, according to a recent article by the Springfield Republican’s Pete Goonan. “There’s a cost associated with businesses not coming into Springfield,” as well as other social costs, like healthcare for people with STDs, he told the Advocate.
Whether Ferrera’s petition has any legs remains to be seen. City Solicitor Ed Pikula is recommending that the Council send the proposal to committee for further review, which would allow him to research its legality.
