Pandering, Prostitution and Disorderly Houses

Nevada Defense Lawyer Defines Prostitution Offenses

In the state of Nevada, certain conduct related to prostitution has been defined as unlawful. Defendants could be charged with crimes related to pandering, prostitution, or running or visiting disorderly houses. Being accused of any of these crimes could ruin your reputation, even if you have not actually been convicted of a criminal offense. Conviction could also result in jail time, fines, and other serious consequences, in addition to leaving you with a permanent criminal record that will follow you for the rest of your life.

Although prostitution and related offenses are often victimless crimes, the state of Nevada still takes these offenses very seriously and you need to respond assertively if you have been accused of violating any laws related to prostitution. You should reach out to an experienced attorney who is familiar with how these types of cases are prosecuted and who can help you to fight the charges you are facing.

Prostitution and related offenses are considered to be crimes against public decency and morals, so these crimes are all defined within Chapter 201 of Title 15. Chapter 201 is the part of Nevada’s criminal code dealing with crimes related to immorality and public decency. Prostitution has its own subsection within Chapter 201 and you need to ensure that a Vegas defense lawyer who you hire to represent you has experience providing representation to defendants accused of offenses defined in Chapter 201.

LV Criminal Defense has the experience you need to fight charges. We have represented many defendants in connection with prostitution related offenses and we can bring our extensive experience with these cases to your situation to help you get the best possible outcome as you navigate the criminal justice system. The goal is to help you avoid or reduce penalties while resolving the accusations against you as quickly and quietly as possible. Give us a call today to find out more about how we can help.

Nevada Laws on Pandering, Prostitution, and Disorderly Houses

The subsection of Chapter 201 that deals with prostitution related offenses includes Nevada Revised Statute section 201.295 through Nevada Revised Statute section 201.440. There are many different offenses defined within this subsection of the law, and there are also statutes that define the types of prohibited conduct that you could potentially be punished for.

For example, Nevada Revised Statute section 201.295 contains the definitions of the different terms that are found within the prostitution subsection of Chapter 201. The relevant words defined in N.R.S. 201.295 include adult, which means a person who is at least 18 years old, and child which refers to a person who is under the age of 18.

The word prostitute is also defined in N.R.S. 201.295 to include any male or female person who engages in sexual intercourse, oral-genital contact, or any touching of the sexual organs or intimate body parts for purposes of arousing the sexual desire of either person or for purposes of gratifying the sexual desire of either person. Prostitution is also defined to include engaging in any type of sexual conduct for a fee, and sexual conduct includes different kinds of behavior that are enumerated later in the subsection.

In addition to the general statute on definitions, there are also other statutes defining the specific meaning of words used in the prostitution subsection of Chapter 201. For example, Nevada Revised Statute section 201.300 defines the offense of pandering to include persuading, inducing, encouraging, enticing or compelling someone to either become a prostitute or to continue to engage in prostitution. A defendant could be convicted of pandering just for convincing someone to engage in prostitution, or for more aggressive behaviors such as threatening violence to induce someone to become a prostitute or taking or detaining a person with the intent to compel that person to become a prostitute. Making promises or otherwise inducing a person of chaste character to enter a place where prostitution is practiced, encouraged, or permitted could also be considered pandering.

Other statutes within the prostitution subsection of Chapter 201 address issues including:

• Placing a spouse in a brothel (N.R.S. 201.310)
• Living off of the earnings obtained through prostitution (N.R.S. 201.320)
• Detaining a person in a brothel because that person owes a debt (N.R.S. 201.330)
• Forfeiture of assets derived from pandering a child (N.R.S. 201.351).
• Additional fines imposed for pandering a child or for conspiring to pander a child (N.R.S. 201.352).
• Engaging in prostitution or soliciting a prostitute (N.R.S. 201.354).
• Testing for exposure to HIV, payment of testing costs, and notification of HIV test results (N.R.S. 201.356).
• Engaging in prostitution or soliciting a prostitute after having tested positive for HIV (N.R.S. 201.358).
• Placing a person in a house of prostitution (N.R.S. 201.360).
• Renting of a property on principal business streets for purposes of prostitution (N.R.S. 201.390)
• Keeping a disorderly house (N.R.S. 201.24).
• Unlawfully advertising prostitutes (N.R.S. 201.430).

There are also additional statutes within this subsection as well. Collectively, the laws within the prostitution subsection of Chapter 201 aim to criminalize many different types of conduct in connection with prostitution, including causing someone to become a prostitute, acting as a prostitute, soliciting a prostitute, or profiting off of prostitution in any way.