(a)  A person is guilty of prostitution when such person engages, or agrees, or offers to engage in sexual conduct with another person in return for a fee. Any person found guilty under this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months, or to a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 11-34.1-2

  • Commercial sexual activity: means any sexual conduct which is performed or promised in return for a fee. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-34.1-1
  • Fee: means any thing of monetary value, including but not limited to money, given as consideration for sexual conduct. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-34.1-1
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Sexual conduct: means sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anal intercourse, and digital intrusion or intrusion by any object into the genital opening or anal opening of another person's body, or the stimulation by hand of another's genitals for the purposes of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of either person. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-34.1-1

(b)  Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

(c)  In any prosecution for a violation under this section, it shall be an affirmative defense if the accused was forced to commit a commercial sexual activity by:

(1)  Being threatened or subjected to physical harm;

(2)  Being physically restrained or threatened to be physically restrained;

(3)  Being subject to threats of abuse of law or legal process;

(4)  Being subject to destruction, concealment, removal, or confiscation, of any passport or other immigration document or any other actual or purported governmental identification document; or

(5)  Being subject to intimidation in which the accused’s physical well being was perceived as threatened.

History of Section.
P.L. 2009, ch. 185, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 186, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 70, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 75, § 1.