Welcome to the first installment of a four part series by Appelman Law Firm on prostitution in Minnesota.
This series is intended to educate people on the dangers of and defenses against prostitution. In this segment we will clarify what exactly prostitution means in the state of Minnesota by defining important legal terminology.
All of the following definitions are taken from MN Stat. Sec. 609.321.
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Definitions
Patron: An individual who hires, offers, or agrees to hire another individual to engage in sexual penetration or sexual contact.
Prostitute: An individual who engages in prostitution.
Prostitution: Offering, or agreeing to engage in sexual contact or sexual penetration for hire.
Sexual Contact: Any of the following acts, provided they can be construed as being for the purpose of satisfying the actor’s sexual impulses: the intentional touching by an individual of a prostitute’s intimate parts, the intentional touching by a prostitute of another individual’s intimate parts.
Sexual Penetration: Any of the following acts, if for the purpose of satisfying the actor’s sexual impulses: sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anal intercourse, or any intrusion into the genital or anal openings of an individual’s body by any part of another individual’s body, or any object used for the purpose of satisfying sexual impulses.
Hire: MN Stat. Sec. 609.321 fails to define the term “hire.” Webster’s Dictionary defines hire as such: To engage the services of a person for a fee; or to grant one’s services for a fee.
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Under Minnesota law, one need not have any physical connection with another to be convicted of prostitution. The crime of prostitution occurs long before any physical contact between patron and prostitute. The crime is the offer, agreement, or act of hiring someone to engage in sexual contact/penetration. For example, saying “I’ll give you $40.00 for a blow-job,” qualifies as an explicit offer to engage in sexual contact for hire. This is a crime.
As with drugs and alcohol, engaging in prostitution can become a serious addiction for some people. If you or someone you know is addicted to prostitution, the best course of action is to seek help. The following is a list of several prostitution recovery programs: Minnesota Recovery, Sexual Recovery Institute, Recovery Connection.
Stay tuned for part two of our “Prostitution in Minnesota” series, where we’ll break down where and how prostitution is happening in your Minnesota neighborhood.
Related Sources:
www.merriam-webster.com
www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes
