
Book contents
- The Regulation of Prostitution in China
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
- The Regulation of Prostitution in China
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- Part I History, Contemporary Context, and Official Policies
- Part II Society
- Part III The State
- 8 Patterns of Punishment
- 9 The Weak Yet Savvy Street-Level Police Officer
- 10 China’s Sex Worker Health Policies: The Influence of Transnational Actors and Their Limitations
- 11 Street-Level Health Officials
- 12 Conclusion
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
8 - Patterns of Punishment
from Part III - The State
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2024
- The Regulation of Prostitution in China
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
- The Regulation of Prostitution in China
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- Part I History, Contemporary Context, and Official Policies
- Part II Society
- Part III The State
- 8 Patterns of Punishment
- 9 The Weak Yet Savvy Street-Level Police Officer
- 10 China’s Sex Worker Health Policies: The Influence of Transnational Actors and Their Limitations
- 11 Street-Level Health Officials
- 12 Conclusion
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Summary
This chapter is about how police officers in China enforce anti-prostitution laws. These regulations outlaw the exchange of sex for money or other material goods in all of its forms, and for all individuals who engage in it. Yet in practice, police enforcement primarily targets low-tier sex workers. Of the array of possible sanctions, these women are more likely incarcerated than fined, and they are placed in institutions with a rehabilitative mission that, in practice, is not met. In addition, law enforcement officials often engage in illegal and abusive practices when arresting sex workers. Clients are not completely immune from punishment, but they are less likely to be arrested than are the women they solicit. The major exception to that pattern involves high-profile men whose actions have crossed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Their cases are taken out of the hands of street-level police officers and into the world of elite politics, with prostitution charges used to help secure their downfall.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Regulation of Prostitution in ChinaLaw in the Everyday Lives of Sex Workers, Police Officers, and Public Health Officials, pp. 207 - 238Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024