Seeking Legal Defense for Your Solicitation of Prostitution Case?
At the law offices of Slaferek Law, we know many circumstances that are out of your control can lead to an arrest on prostitution and solicitation. Just because you have been arrested and charged with offenses revolving around solicitation and prostitution does not mean you are a criminal or that you will have the charges on your record.
The laws revolving around solicitation and prostitution are relatively loose and are up for interpretation. If you, or someone you know, have been arrested and charged with a prostitution or solicitation offense, the prostitution charge defense team at Slaferek Law know the letter of the law and will aggressively work on your behalf to refute the police charges and the prosecution’s case.
Is Paying for Sex Against the Law in Alberta?
Prostitution is not a crime in Canada. That being said, trading money for sexual services is not a criminal offense in Canada. However, many activities typically associated with prostitution are considered criminal offenses. While, generally, it is not an indictable criminal offense to buy sexual favours, arrange to buy sexual favours, or communicated for those purposes; if these acts and/or communications are done or attempted in public places, it is then considered a criminal offense.
Although it is true, prostitution is not considered a criminal act in Canada, there are many laws making many of the activities associated with prostitution illegal. For instance, because engaging in sexual acts in a public place is an offense that falls under the indecent act provisions of the criminal code, engaging in an act of prostitution, even in the privacy of your own car, can result in a criminal charge – if caught.
Clearly, the act of prostitution must take place somewhere. Remember, the exchange of sex for money is not criminal in itself; however, when the act of prostitution occurs in a location used regularly or habitually for the purposes of prostitution, the location is deemed a common bawdy-house. It is illegal to run a common bawdy-house; to be caught in one without a lawful excuse; to work in one; or to allow one to be operated in a place or premise which you have control over. Just to offer to take someone to a common bawdy-house is punishable by law.
There are statutes in the criminal code dealing with the other business aspects of prostitution. Pimping is the activity characterized as living on the avails of prostitution and is punishable with a jail term of up to fourteen (14) years. Other statutes in the criminal code make it criminal to induce, persuade, or force someone into prostitution, both in and out of Canada.
Another criminal offense revolving around prostitution is buying sexual favours from or communicating about buying sexual favours from someone under 18 years of age. This is an indictable criminal offense that carries a minimum term of six (6) months in jail.
