Study cites Internet as major force of sex trade

A virtual world where information about sex trade openly is shared by prostitution customers on the Internet is being studied by an MSU criminologist to understand the subculture.

Tom Holt, assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice, co-authored a new study, which will appear in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography with Kristie Blevins, an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina.

Prostitute’s customers, or Johns, use certain Web sites to share information about prostitution, such as descriptions of experiences with prostitutes and contact information, locations and costs for certain prostitutes.

“I looked around and found a number of Web sites that allow people to rate services of prostitutes … discuss locations … (and) all manner of life and aspects of the sex trade from the customer point of view,” Holt said.

Although Johns were thought to act alone in their search for prostitutes, Blevins and Holt found these sites promoted relationships in a virtual environment between johns.

Johns can use the Web to avoid law enforcement stings, making them harder to catch, Blevins said.

“One time we were doing an escort sting … (and) somehow Johns weren’t showing up for an appointment,” she said. “Somebody had put online, ‘This is a sting going on, don’t go there.’”

East Lansing police Sgt. Scott Wriggelsworth said research on the habits of Johns in Web forums could help law enforcement officials catch criminals.

“It’s realistic as long as we have access to the information and it (is) reliable,” he said. “If we were trying to stop Johns or prostitutes working in a specific area … it certainly could lead you from getting into a wild goose chase.”

The potential customers who use the sites use their own language to disguise their discussions, the researchers said.

From different ways of saying how much money services cost to an abbreviation for the type of prostitute being discussed, Johns use a unique argot, they said.

The decision to hire a prostitute for most of the Johns is normal and rational, Holt said.

“They justify their behavior in that seeking out sex services from other people is perfectly fine,” he said. “A few of them talked about being married … but not being satisfied by that relationship.”

The way prostitutes are talked about by the Johns was surprising, Blevins said.

“These people seemed to view the prostitutes, primarily female prostitutes, as a commodity,” she said. “They did not talk to them as if they were human beings … (they) talked as if they were buying a car.”

The depth of information provided on the Web sites, which are open to anyone, was surprising, Holt said.

“One could very easily go to a forum where people talk about prostitution and know what streets to go to,” he said. “They provide a pretty substantial amount of detail.”