Did You Know Buying This In Texas Is Now A Felony?
Every day we head out into stores to buy goods and services we need to live but some folks prefer to buy "human" services.
I'm not trying to be funny at all, but human trafficking is a real thing, a crime that has exploded all across the country especially here in Texas. A new Texas law, the first of its kind in the country is hoping to be a deterrent to this heinous crime.
According to NBC News, beginning September 1, buying sex will now be a felony in Texas, increasing the penalty for paying for prostitution to a maximum of two years of jail time for the first offense.
Back in June, the state unanimously passed HB1540 which Governor Abbot signed into law. The plan for the new law is to shift penalty away from prostitutes who are often the victims of human sex trafficking and putting more emphasis on the "johns" who pay for sex.
The law also expands felony charges against traffickers who recruit minors at treatment facilities and youth centers and adds a misdemeanor charge, punishable by up to a year in prison, for those who trespass on treatment center properties, and enhanced penalties for anyone caught selling drugs or committing other drug-related crimes within 1,000 feet of the centers where most young people are recruited into the trafficking life.
While some believe its a start to reforming the way Texas handles prostitution and sex work cases, others believe it could lead to endless tie ups in the legal system because "paying for sex" is a tricky slope to prove.
What are your thoughts?