Rhode Island is the latest locale to mull decriminalizing prostitution, with two different bills to this effect getting hearings in the state Senate's Judiciary Committee today.
From a criminal justice reform and civil liberties perspective, the most promising of these bills is S2713, drafted by the sex worker advocacy group Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics Rhode Island (COYOTE RI). The bill—introduced by state Sens. Cynthia Mendes (D–East Providence & Pawtucket) and Jeanine Calkin (D–Warwick)—would decriminalize selling sex, paying for sex, and a number of other consensual activities related to commercial sexual activity.
