Rhode Island is now the last state in the country to ban prostitution.

Last Wednesday and Thursday the Rhode Island House and Senate voted respectively to close an almost 30-year loophole in the state’s law that banned prostitution outdoors, but allowed it indoors. Rhode Island has long been the only state in the country in which prostitution was legal, along with parts of Nevada.

The bill would make solicitation a misdemeanor offense, regardless of where it occurs. Prostitutes would face a maximum six-month prison sentence for a first offense, while their customers could face up to a year. Landlords who knowingly allow prostitution could face up to five years in prison and $5,000 fines.

Governor Donald Carcieri is hosting a signing ceremony at the statehouse this afternoon.

The House passed the bill with a vote of 58-9; it passed in the Senate 36-2.

The bill allows for judiciary discretion in some areas such as expunging prostitutes’ criminal records after one year.

Rep. Joe McNamara (D-Warwick) believes that closing the loophole represents a good step in halting the exploitation of women.

“Women are taken advantage of by pimps in this industry,” said McNamara.

Pleased that Rhode Island has joined the 49 other states that outlaw prostitution, McNamara feels this has been a long time coming. The presence of the Craigslist Killer in Warwick is another highlight to the fact that this type of activity attracts crime, said McNamara.

“People say that this is a victimless crime, but you go to those neighborhoods where this is taking place and ask the girls that live there what it is like to be harassed by pimps and johns,” said McNamara.

Rep. Al Gemma (D-Warwick) vehemently opposed the bill. He feels that the bill is too presumptuous.

“Police are limited to enforcing the law; they do not make the law. When they get super-activated and start making the law that is when trouble starts,” said Gemma.

Gemma thinks that allowing police to conduct sting operations in private residences is an invasion of privacy.

Gemma also feels that holding landlords responsible for what happens on their property is unjust. While the law allows for prosecution of landlords involved in home prostitution rings, it also allows for judicial discretion if the landlord was oblivious to what was happening.

Rep. Frank Ferri (D-Warwick) feels that this bill is a direct attack on individual rights.

“If two consenting adults are in the privacy of their own home, they should not be committing a crime,” said Ferri.

Ferri believes that the state is getting involved in moral judgment issues, where it does not belong. An infringement on personal rights is an infringement on the individualism and freedom that this state takes pride in, according to Ferri.

Gemma and Ferri both say that while they are not in favor of prostitution, they are in favor of protecting people’s rights.

Gemma thinks that children of prostitutes will grow up with their mothers constantly being in trouble with the law, and they will become victims of a similar fate.

The General Assembly also made amendments to the state’s human trafficking laws. The law now clearly applies to forced labor, whether or not it occurs in the sex industry. It also establishes stronger penalties for sex trafficking of minors: up to 40 years in prison and $40,000 in fines.