Brooklyn DA Policy on Prosecution of Solicitation, The Brooklyn District Attorneys Office (Jan. 29, 2021)

In January 2021, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced his decision to vacate open bench warrants related to prostitution and loitering for the purposes of prostitution-–charges his office no longer prosecutes. Gonzalez also called on legislators to repeal the loitering for the purposes of prostitution law and to expunge old prostitution-related convictions.

In his announcement, Gonzalez said, “I decided to take this action for several reasons: first and most obviously, it doesn’t make sense for someone to have an outstanding warrant for something we no longer prosecute. But beyond that, these warrants have powerful negative consequences for the individual, and they undermine public safety. Because someone with an open warrant is subject to arrest at any time, those engaged in the selling of sex are more likely to be driven underground and be less likely to report abuse or other crimes, which makes both them and others less safe."