nia report: ‘I’m no criminal’ – Examining the Impact of Prostitution-Specific Criminal Records on Women Seeking to Exit Prostitution

If women cannot exit prostitution and build viable alternatives, they are likely to remain in it and at risk of continued criminalisation.

This is according to ‘I’m no criminal’ (pdf), a report launched in July 2017 by nia, which outlines the legal and policy context in the UK surrounding prostitution.

The report reviews relevant literature relating to the impact of criminal justice measures, and specifically criminal records, on women in and exiting prostitution.

The research aims are to explore:

1. The ways in which convictions and different outcomes for prostitution-related offences impact on women involved in prostitution
2. How a prostitution-related criminal record can act as a barrier to exiting specifically with regard to education, training and employment
3. How this barrier may be linked to, and interact with, other barriers exiting women face
4. The more long-term ramifications for women, including post-exit, of prostitution-specific criminal records.

Read the full report (pdf).