Except as otherwise provided in this division compelling prostitution is a felony of the third degree. The underlying offense of compelling prostitution in this section is modeled after Ohio Rev. Code Ann. However, the provision pertaining to the use of the Internet should be easily adaptable to any states' statute pertaining to compelling prostitution or similar offense.
Prostitution is a crime in almost every state.
Compelling prostitution is considered the most serious in the hierarchy of prostitution offenses, because of the element of potential harm to the victim in addition to his or her personal degradation. See, e.g., Ohio Rev. Code Ann. A study of the traumatizing emotional effects of the world s oldest profession revealed that many may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from physical or sexual assaults during working hours. Given the Internet's potential to reach a vast number of persons, using the Internet to compel another to engage in prostitution should not be tolerated. With the touch of a keystroke, the Internet makes it possible for one to reach a vast number of other people he otherwise could not easily reach to compel into prostitution.