413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

“Years ago, a john, a certain guy from Northern Virginia, may never come to DC to the track. He could,
but it was taboo. Now he can get on the Internet, she may be in Virginia or DC, and he can go straight to
the hotel” (C4).
Respondents also noted how the Internet opened up a wealth of new marketing opportunities for pimps:
“The economy is out of control now. Way bigger than the ’90s. We got Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, all
this for pimps and for people, not just [for advertising] hos, but for merchandise. You got pimps that are
making movies now. The same girl on that corner, put her on a DVD and send it around the world” (D5).
Other respondents observed a marked increase in their own sales when they posted services on the
Internet:
Out on the blade, young bitches and dudes don’t know about the Internet. I didn’t know
about the Internet until about two years after I got on. First girl, it was all concrete. Then
this dude, my homey’s brother, said he could put her somewhere, tricks would call her
phone, [she could get] extra clientele. I would pay him some money. And then the girl
said they just putting me on the Internet. That’s how I learned about the Internet. Young
dudes do concrete because they don’t know about Backpage and Craigslist. (B3)
The Internet was not without new dangers for pimps, along with new competition and higher associated
business costs. The Internet also entailed greater risk of detection. One pimp believed that advertising on
the Internet was the primary reason for his incarceration:
Really, the Internet cost me my freedom. I would never have known. The Internet is a lot
more dangerous than a girl working the street. There is more money, but you have to set
up, and you can be tracked too hard on the Internet. Shit being exposed, she have to
compete with the competition on the Internet. She been seen by a stranger before she get
there, so a safety factor. Not only that, it [costs] more money and you can easily get
tracked by the police. (G3)
Respondents indicated that the Internet controls some of the dangers of sex work: It allows for pimps to
initiate communications with potential customers prior to a transaction (providing an additional filter),
takes girls off the track, and allows for pimps to connect to a higher-paying clientele who they perceive as
less risky. However, the Internet also introduces new possibilities for detection and prosecution, often
unanticipated by respondents until they were arrested. Not only does Internet use create a paper path of
communications and transactions, it opens up new opportunities for law enforcement to anonymously
connect to suspected pimps.
Demographics of Participants
Respondents perceived changes in the demographics of both sex workers and customers over time. One
respondent noted that when he was incarcerated in 2008, he observed more youth engaging in the sex
market as pimps and sex workers: “A lot of young girls, 17 years old, pimps too. It became a fad” (B3).
Respondents also observed changes in the age of their customers. One interviewee reported, “The only
thing that I saw change was that I saw more younger dudes willing to pay. When I started, mostly dirty old
men wanted young women, but before I got locked up, it was everybody. I don’t know. It was just the
mentality. [People have been] more exposed to this material. I don’t know what’s going on” (D10). Other
respondents made similar observations. One respondent explained that there were “More younger dudes.
The younger guys started getting on this. The younger the guys got, the younger the girls got. From when I
first started, they got real young. I was like whoa. It’s clear they understand what’s going on. I don’t
condone it; 18 and older are grown. A lot of young girls, so it’s easy to take advantage of them” (G11).
Respondents also noted that trends influenced youth involvement in different illegal economies.
According to some offenders, pimping became increasingly popular among youth in the 2000s, a period
when multiple respondents noted a shift from drug dealing to prostitution. One respondent remarked on
the shift from drug dealing to pimping among adolescents. He explained that pimping became
increasingly popular among youth because it provided a more lucrative path than drug dealing:
It’s like the 1980’s where 15, 16, 14, 20 year olds were selling drugs to get by. You
understand the community, man. It’s this. It’s prostitution. Everybody. I got little cousins
212