This paper examines a case study involving a sex worker whose drug addiction and practice of unprotected sex present risks to herself and her clients. Drawing on sociological perspectives — including Kingsley Davis's view that prostitution serves a social function — the paper argues that criminalizing and imprisoning the individual is the least effective response. Instead, it advocates for court-mandated rehabilitation, supervised monitoring by healthcare and social service professionals, and conditional allowances for continued sex work under strict safe-sex requirements. The paper concludes that a supportive, multidisciplinary team offers a far more viable path to rehabilitation than incarceration alone.
The paper exemplifies applied case analysis: it takes a general sociological debate (whether prostitution is harmful) and applies it to a concrete individual scenario, using that scenario to derive specific, actionable policy recommendations. This technique — moving from theory to application — is a hallmark of applied ethics and criminal justice writing.
The paper opens by situating the case within existing sociological debate, then dedicates a section each to the two core problems (drug addiction and unprotected sex). It next addresses conditional sex work, argues against blanket criminalization, and closes with a brief conclusion restating the preferred multidisciplinary approach. The structure is essentially problem–solution–conclusion, with each solution section logically dependent on the one before it.
Some sociologists, including Kingsley Davis, regard prostitution not only as a harmless service to society but also as a necessary one. However, when considering the criminal aspect of prostitution, there are many cases in which participants are indeed harmed, or run the risk of being harmed. In the case examined here, the individual involved is at risk of both harming herself and her clients. First, her regular use of drugs is a significant risk factor to her own health. Second, her use of unprotected sex to procure these drugs puts both herself and her clients at risk of infection and death. For these reasons, the two main components of her actions — her drug addiction and unprotected sex — could be potentially criminal and should be discouraged by means of legal safeguards.
The individual's drug addiction needs to be addressed by both legal and healthcare means. Rather than imprisoning her in already overcrowded facilities — which could be even more harmful in terms of ensuring her health and the health of others — a legal mandate should be implemented instead. By court order, for example, she could be entered into a rehabilitation facility for a specified period as a condition of her continued freedom. Her release should be subject to the approval of healthcare professionals, and that approval should be presented to the court before it is granted.
Because of the nature of her addiction, the required time at the facility should not be rigidly imposed. It should instead be contingent upon receiving a clean bill of health from a medical professional, which must then be approved by the court.
Once her drug habit is under control, her involvement in sex work can be addressed. There are two possible approaches. First, she could be assisted in finding employment outside of prostitution, since this profession places her at risk of relapsing into her drug habit. When such employment has been secured, she can be monitored regularly by a medical professional or counselor assigned for that purpose. As a condition of her release, she should also be required to submit to regular drug testing.
This case is one that could be handled in several ways. Criminalizing the individual is probably one of the least desirable options, since it means simply that already overcrowded prisons will receive yet another inmate who will more than likely not be rehabilitated as a result. Providing a team of experts to support her — either in transitioning to a new profession or in maintaining her involvement in prostitution under carefully monitored conditions — offers a platform for rehabilitation that is far more effective than incarceration alone.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.