DSW Featured at Symposium on Policing Commercial Sex Work

Earlier this month, DSW Staff Attorney Becca Cleary spoke on a panel at the Symposium on Policing Commercial Sex Work, held at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. The panel, titled “Policing Sex Work: Community Impact and Legal Resources,” focused on how policing practices affect sex workers and how legal and policy responses can either compound harm or promote safety.

Cleary was joined by Commissioner Tick Segerblom, Chair of the Clark County Commission; Amy Marie Merrell, Co-Executive Director of Programs & Development at The Cupcake Girls; and Emily Coombes, a Ph.D. candidate and member of the Red Umbrella Collective.

A recurring theme throughout the panel — and the symposium as a whole — was the urgent need for laws that protect sex workers from criminal liability when seeking help. Often referred to as “immunity” or “Good Samaritan” laws, these measures ensure that sex workers who are victims of or witnesses to a crime can report it without fear of arrest for prostitution. In a country where sex work remains heavily criminalized, such protections are essential for public safety and justice.

The symposium featured a wide range of discussions led by scholars, advocates, and policymakers on the harms of criminalization and the path forward. The keynote lunch featured Professor Aya Gruber and Dr. Barb Brents, who emphasized that current law enforcement practices often deter sex workers from seeking support — even from medical professionals. Dr. Brents, who has spent nearly four decades researching the sex industry, underscored the need to center sex workers’ voices in policy-making: “The best policy could be made if we listen to sex workers and include them in the process.”