Las Vegas: Court Treats Teen Prostitutes as Victims, Not Criminals
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- The girls, none older than 17 and some as young as 12, trudge into Judge William Voy's courtroom every Wednesday morning with the most heartbreaking and seemingly intractable problems imaginable.
Last Wednesday, one 15-year-old came into court pregnant. Another teen, a recovering alcoholic, had just gotten out of drug rehab. Almost every girl there had suffered through physical and sexual abuse at some point in her life.
Las Vegans may not want to acknowledge that a dark side has come with the city's long-standing, de facto acceptance of adult prostitution.
But the ranks of teen prostitutes are growing here, and in Voy's court - one of the few of its kind in the country designed specifically to deal with these cases - the judge, prosecutors, public defenders, police, probation officers and social workers have come together to try to address the problem.
In short, they're looking to treat the girls as victims in serious need of help, instead of juvenile delinquents who deserve punishment.
"It finally dawned on me that these girls are victims, and we've all agreed on that," said Voy, a Family Court judge. "We knew we wanted to get them special attention."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT LasVegasSun.com
Last Wednesday, one 15-year-old came into court pregnant. Another teen, a recovering alcoholic, had just gotten out of drug rehab. Almost every girl there had suffered through physical and sexual abuse at some point in her life.
Las Vegans may not want to acknowledge that a dark side has come with the city's long-standing, de facto acceptance of adult prostitution.
But the ranks of teen prostitutes are growing here, and in Voy's court - one of the few of its kind in the country designed specifically to deal with these cases - the judge, prosecutors, public defenders, police, probation officers and social workers have come together to try to address the problem.
In short, they're looking to treat the girls as victims in serious need of help, instead of juvenile delinquents who deserve punishment.
"It finally dawned on me that these girls are victims, and we've all agreed on that," said Voy, a Family Court judge. "We knew we wanted to get them special attention."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT LasVegasSun.com
posted by Sarah G. at 3:15 PM
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