Question for the lawyers. Or a prostitute. I've been googling around, but my search history is only becoming increasingly problematic. I need human assistance. I need to put my MC in financial problems, so she's going to bail out a friend. Let me just paint the scene and we'll go from there. MC's friend Charlene went on an escort job at a no-tell-motel, which turned out to be a sting operation, and she got busted. She uses her one phone call to call MC for a bail out. That's it, really, but there are some logistics and realism-issues I can't figure out. Few other things that might affect "the case": - It's Charlene's first offense. As far as the police knows, anyway. - Though trailer-trashy, she doesn't look like a typical hooker or junkie. In fact, I'd gladly take her on a date. Don't know if I'd introduce her to my mother yet, though. - It's in LA. Or at least California. Haven't pinpointed an exact location for the story yet. Questions: 1. How soon will a bail be set? 2. How much is the bail? (Google says anywhere between 1,000 and 15,000; not very helpful.) 3. Is bail paid at the police station? Cash or card? 4. The whole thing is supposed to play out over the course of about half a day. Is that realistic? 5. Is it actually called a sting? 6. Is that how they catch a prostitute? Bonus Question: All of the above, but this time Charlene also had a gram (or whatever passes for personal use) of cocaine on her person.
What country or state is this in? What day of the week is it? And year? These all matter. I had a character prank call 911 and was able to give him a proper sentence because I knew the jurisdiction, etc. If it is the weekend, the judge won’t be in until Monday to give arraignment. Also, if it is a US state, look up their revised statutes online. Also, the cocaine is a huge book problem. She won’t get off easy if she is in the us. and ok. You said LA or somewhere like in CA. So, I would look up laws in the revised statutes of CA or the LA county on Prostitution, drug possession. I think these would be split between state and federal charges? I didn’t take criminal law in Paralegal school. I am not a lawyer and this is for writing purposes only.
Not an attorney (or a prostitute lol), but I do work in a law library now! Unfortunately, not in the state your story is set in. Regardless, I did some digging Bail in my state is set within 48 hours are at arraignment (basically, the first court appearance). Looks like it is the same in California this is correct. The Penal Code 647k says it is a misdemeanor and the fine is $1000 (i am assuming this is for a first offense, because then it goes into 2nd and 3rd offenses and extended jail time). "a second or subsequent violation of subdivision (j) is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment." you can pay it directly to the jail or a bail bondsman it can be call many different things depending on who is doing it. I've heard them call it an "operation" or "mass arrest" They catch them in a number of ways, including under cover operations or by tips. I would also look at the ACLU's Sex Workers Rights. lots of good information on there including what happens if workers are picked up and where.
oh! Law firms also publish articles on topics. This law firm has some good information (note: i am not endorsing their firm. They cite codes and definitions which makes it a good resources!)
Yeah, JT's resource sets it up nicely. The only thing I would add, like Gravy was saying, is you have to get arraigned by a judge before any bail, bond, or anything is set. None of that happens at the police station. But it's very likely she would be released from jail and given a court summons, rather than being held in jail overnight or through the weekend or whatever. Especially for a misdemeanor, and especially in a major city like LA, which is up to its armpits in serious criminals. I live in a small city as far as the US goes, and the cops around here don't have the space to hold a lot of the misdemeanors overnight. That depends on the prostitute and the time period. Is she a street hooker or an Instagram escort? Big difference there. I'd wonder too about the probable cause and investigative angle that would lead the police to raid a sleazy motel. That sounds much more likely 20-30 years ago, less so today. Then there's the whole modern "sex trafficking" angle to prostitution, which is much more serious than it was decades ago and considered more of a vice than a crime against humanity.
Also, what do you want to happen in your story? Because judges moods change. And you also said there was cocaine. Drug charges could make the situation worse.
"What is art? Prostitution." - Charles Baudelaire Now idea what he said about lawyers or their libraries, though. Looks like I have some reading to do. Thanks, I'll get on it. Damn. I thought I knew a lot about prostitution, but apparently there's more than two kinds. Charlene's not a streetwalker or window girl. She just escorts on the side for a couple of extra bucks. Normally she'd cherrypick clients, but in this case she was less careful because she got fired from her job after saying some unladylike things to the boss after he fired the MC. Aaaanyway. She's an escort, only does outcalls. All voluntary. And in 2024. Maybe I'll push it down to 2016 for unclear reasons, but it's all modern day. I think sex trafficking maybe will come up somewhere, if I find the confidence to handle the topic properly, but I'm pretty sure they're not getting Charlene. How do you mean? The story as a whole? Currently, my angle has shifted to try and point out some of the idiotic prejudices against sexuality, all while still presenting an entertaining story without finger wagging. This book might not come out at all... Scene wise, I need to get the MC in just enough financial hot water to convince to take a job as a bookkeeper at a porn producer. Which makes total sense in context, I promise. Getting her escort-friend in trouble seemed like easy pickings. Oh, by the way! What happens to the car Charlene used to drive to the motel?
I only know what I know from my career in the restaurant business, which has a LOT of prostitutes and Johns hanging around. And one of my high-end joints is a destination for the aforementioned. A lot of them double as strippers, which is occupationally adjacent, obviously. They do all of their business through apps and Instagram DMs, which is all perfectly legal so long as the boxes for solicitation for purposes of prostitution isn't actually discussed there. There's nothing wrong with booking a date and talking about booking date up until you know what. There used to be legal escort services openly advertised next to hardware stores and reading for blind kids back in the day. Don't know if those still exist like they used to. That's the lens it's legally viewed through these days. Whether that needs to be a part of your story or not is obviously up to the story.
Yeah, I saw in the other thread you're quite up to speed on the subject. Also, am I understanding it right you actually own one or more restaurants? Anyway. I'm Dutch. Sex work is more accepted here, easier to talk about, more protected. Though far from as liberal as everybody else assumes. More than a few of those girls are actual, nice human beings. Often pretty smart too. Nothing like the stereotypical platform-heeled streetwalking loudmouth. But trust me, they're telling everyone they're cleaners when asked about what they do because even here there has to be something wrong with you if you provide sexual services. By that logic, it would seem that legalizing isn't the be-all-end-all solution, instead the small minded opinions of *shivers* humans. And that's exactly my problem with it. Hence the attempt at a book. Yeah, I know there's a lot of loopholes. Paying for company is fine and if your companion puts out, that's her business. Stuff like that. I've just been going through @J.T. Woody 's links. There are a lot of nitpicky rules, man. Like, stuff that looks made up just to annoy sex workers. They weren't there specifically for her. It's just that kind of place, and Charlene was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I don't own them, thank Jeebus. I just run the joints. Soon to be eight in total if all goes right. I don't recommend ownership to anyone. There's an old saying in the industry that people don't buy restaurants, they buy jobs they can't quit. Haha. Yeah, it's a little different over there. I haven't seen street walkers in forever. Especially in the cities. Like I said, they have an app for anything now.
Point of note prostitution is very different in the US than it is in Holland where the OP is for one thing window girls aren’t really a thing theres three basic types Low rent hookers standing on corners moatly near airports or truck stops who will be happy to give you HIV in your back seat for twenty bucks. There also brothels and cat houses in this range and at the very dark end things like sheep ranches. ( a sheep ranch is sexual slavery, the girls are all whacked out on drugs and hardly get out of bed the guys get 15 minutes by a timer. A chicken ranch is the same thing except the girls are underage) the middle range which used to be done in pick up bars but these days is nearly all on instagram or dating apps … half those girls on tinder if you swipe right you’ll find they only have paid dates or want the guy to be “ generous” most of these but not all will be independents not working for a pimp. and the high end escorts who you can at a price arrange to meet in hotels or to come to you who go from anywhere from 500 to over a thou a night and at the top end service sports stars and politicians In ref of bail. Hookers are notoriously unreliable so I’d be strongly inclined to pay a bondsman. With a bondsman you pay typically 10% of the bail amount but you don’t get it back which is how he makes his money, on the flip side if she skips it’s him who’s out for the whole amount not you.
Also no one sets up an operation like that to bust a bunch of hookers. Why would the police care they bust street walkers especially if they go into respectable neighbourhoods because people complain, but a bunch of girls in a motel aren’t harming anyone and it’s off the streets and out of sight it would make more sense if her client was the target… maybe he’s a mid level dealer and general around shitbag and the cops want to pop him to get him to flip on his supplier? Or something like that. they bust him and she gets picked up as collateral because she’s there. or maybe the johns are a bunch of vice guys getting their free tuggies and the bust is by Internal Affairs
To be honest, I've actually never seen them. Not even when they were still common here. Wasn't until my girlfriend took me on a trip to her old stomping ground in Nice, France that I finally saw some. And now that I read it back: That's not the kind of stomping my girlfriend did. I'm sure, because she hasn't charged me yet and it's been a good ten years. Legally, yes. Attitude-wise, less yes. And it seems to be getting worse again. Feels like an over-correction, like trying to adjust the volume during the acoustic intro of a metal song. Sorry to say that there are sheep and chickens here as well. Without pointing fingers, we're close to the countries that are more likely to use such methods. But on the other end, we've got a pretty thorough and dedicated branch of law enforcement for it too. Folks that understand the nuances of the sex industry (though not implying there's a nuance to chicken farms) as a whole. Unfortunately, above them there are politicians who overreact when they hear a minor has been found in that context, and you get kill-em-all decisions like closing the Red Light District. Granted, they moved it, or are moving it, but you can smell "kneejerk reaction" all over it. Anyway, there's more to it, of course, but it won't change anything if I waste post-space to complain about it. I've read about that whole system. However, in this particular case, the person paying (MC) and Charlene are living together. Also because of the financial situation. And they're very good friends. No, not that good. Thought about it, but it was even too easy for me. Also, maybe I'll just change the bail to a fine. The way the scene is evolving kinda requires the whole thing to take place in a short time span. I'm gonna give it a couple of passes, see if I can stretch it out. I'll make it work. This has become painfully clear to me. Unfortunately, this needs to happen, so I'm gonna go the Hollywood-route: Dead-wrong, but looks believable enough to sell it. While I intend to spend as little time as possible on the exact details of what went down, as I think it takes away focus from the story at hand, I will keep this in mind. If I do need something, this would make a nice extra layer.
My husband says they typically leave prostitutes alone (he's a cop) unless they are visibly breaking the law (he said he caught a "transaction" at the park and told them to move along). In cases where there is an arrest, its because other things are going on. Drugs, weapons, someone has a warrant, or suspicions of human trafficking.
Dammit. The one time I need cops to be unreasonable they go and be fair all of a sudden. ;o) I'll see if I can come up with some infraction for Charlene that gets her picked up without making her unlikable.
you can do the old "hold my purse" thing where a drug addicted hooker asks Charlene to "be a dear and hold this while im with this guy, because i know he likes the stuff and will rob me blind" and she trusts Charlene with it because she knows Charlene isnt into the hard drugs. Charlene is caught with the drugs on her and held in lockup for a few hours, but they go through the purse and see she's telling the truth because they find the owner's ID in the purse.
Maybe it’s one of the police departments that sits inside LA, like say Santa Monica or Culver city being a smaller department they are more susceptible to stuff like demands from residents that they clean up a particular area
I'll see if I can fit something like that in after I rewrite the whole damn thing because I just realized I have a timing issue. Think I'm gonna have to waste another chapter on stretching the process out to a more realistic timeline so I can make a few other necessary events happen. Goddamn, writing shit is hard, man. Why didn't I become a painter? For my own sake, I'm going to hold off naming any towns as long as I can, since I'm obviously not a local. But the smaller department-angle does work for me.
if you look at a map of what the LAPD cover (which i have to hand because i'm writing an LAPD book currently) theres a bunch of other places you could put it and still be in greater LA , you could even make one up
Could you make her friend look younger and vulnerable? Like someone who is of legal age but that might not be obvious, hence attracting additional police attention? I don't want to name names here but I can think of at least two adult entertainment actresses who have testified for the defense when the producers were accused of using models who weren't old enough based on their appearance. Cops think they're rescuing a victim, find out she's just a working girl and get cranky and charge her?
Goddammit, GTA lied to me. Not a fan of making something up this time. I'm zeroing in on what I want to do with this book and it would be a lot more helpful if I kept it as far in reality as I can. There has been a reference to Beverly Hills, so the reader's mind will automatically hang around LA without me having to say it. But I am saving that map. I've actually thought about doing worse. Got a reasonable way into it, too, before I realized I wouldn't be able to publish it anywhere. Or maybe I could, it's not porn, but one should not poke the machine gun toting cyborg bear that is Amazon. And the short answer is no. Followed by a longer answer. What makes Charlene Charlene is attitude and look. Trailer trash, at a glance. Surfer tan, faux blonde, patchwork tattoos, enhanced breasts for actual plot reasons (and there's the Beverly Hills reference). She couldn't even pass for a minor when she was one.
The only Chicken Ranch I've heard of was the famous one - at least in Texas - in the town of La Grange. Remember ZZ Top's song? And the Bert Reynolds and Dolly Parton movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas? It was open from 1890's to 1973. Took chickens in payment during the Depression, hence the name.
