WABE: New Bill Would Treat Prostitutes Under Age 16, Instead of Prosecuting Them: A Conversation with the Sponsor (2010-01-26)

WABE Features

New Bill Would Treat Prostitutes Under Age 16, Instead of Prosecuting Them: A Conversation with the Sponsor

Denis O'Hayer (2010-01-26)

null

State Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford) Georgia State Senate

ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - First, a warning, especially to parents with their children: This story contains explicit language, about a disturbing subject.

Georgia is one of the nation's leaders in a category no one wants to lead: child prostitution. For 2 years, WABE's Rose Scott has followed the efforts of law enforcement officials to find the balance between rescuing young girls from the sex trade and prosecuting adults who run it. Buford Republican State Senator Renee Unterman now has a bill that says if a person arrested for prostitution is under 16, she will be put into treatment, instead of going through the criminal justice system, via the Youth Detention Center. In a conversation at the Capitol, Unterman told WABE's Denis O'Hayer the bill is overdue, though she admits there are concerns about it. © Copyright 2010, WABE