Michigan Prostitution Laws - Decriminalize Sex Work

Prostitution Laws of Michigan

750.448: Soliciting, accosting, or inviting to commit prostitution or immoral act; crime
750.449: Admitting to place for purpose of prostitution; crime
750.449a: Engaging services for purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, offer to engage; penalty
750.450: Aiders and abettors; crime
750.451: Violation of §§ 750.448, 750.449, 750.449a, 750.450, or 750.462; prior convictions; penalty; definition
750.451a: Law enforcement officers; applicability
750.452: House of ill-fame; keeping, maintaining or operating
750.453: Providing incriminating testimony or evidence; use of truthful testimony, evidence, or other information against witness in criminal case
750.454: Leasing houses for purposes of prostitution; misdemeanor
750.455: Pandering; felony
750.456: Placing wife in house of prostitution; felony
750.457: Earnings of prostitute, accepting
750.458: Detaining female in house of prostitution for debt
750.459: Transporting female for prostitution; felony
750.460: Acts committed outside state
750.461: Competency of person to testify for or against accused notwithstanding person's marriage to accused

750.448: Soliciting, accosting, or inviting to commit prostitution or immoral act; crime

A person 16 years of age or older who accosts, solicits, or invites another person in a public place or in or from a building or vehicle, by word, gesture, or any other means, to commit prostitution or to do any other lewd or immoral act, is guilty of a crime punishable as provided in section 451.

750.449: Admitting to place for purpose of prostitution; crime

A person 16 years of age or older who receives or admits or offers to receive or admit a person into a place, structure, house, building, or vehicle for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, or who knowingly permits a person to remain in a place, structure, house, building, or vehicle for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, is guilty of a crime punishable as provided in section 451.

750.449a: Engaging services for purpose of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, offer to engage; penalty

Any male person who engages or offers to engage the services of a female person, not his wife, for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness or assignation, by the payment in money or other forms of consideration, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person convicted of violating this section shall be subject to the provisions of Act No. 6 of the Public Acts of the Second Extra Session of 1942, being sections 329.201 to 329.208 of the Compiled Laws of 1948.

750.450: Aiders and abettors; crime

A person 16 years of age or older who aids, assists, or abets another person to commit or offer to commit an act prohibited under section 448 or 449 is guilty of a crime punishable as provided in section 451.

750.451: Violation of §§ 750.448, 750.449, 750.449a, 750.450, or 750.462; prior convictions; penalty; definition

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person convicted of violating section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.

(2) A person 16 years of age or older who is convicted of violating section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462 and who has 1 prior conviction is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both.

(3) A person convicted of violating section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462 and who has 2 or more prior convictions is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 2 years, or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both.

(4) If the prosecuting attorney intends to seek an enhanced sentence based upon the defendant having 1 or more prior convictions, the prosecuting attorney shall include on the complaint and information a statement listing the prior conviction or convictions. The existence of the defendant's prior conviction or convictions shall be determined by the court, without a jury, at sentencing or at a separate hearing for that purpose before sentencing. The existence of a prior conviction may be established by any evidence relevant for that purpose, including, but not limited to, 1 or more of the following:

(a) A copy of the judgment of conviction.

(b) A transcript of a prior trial, plea-taking, or sentencing.

(d) The defendant's statement.

(5) As used in this section, "prior conviction" means a violation of section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462 or a violation of a law of another state or of a political subdivision of this state or another state substantially corresponding to section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462.

750.451a: Law enforcement officers; applicability

Sections 448, 449, 449a, 450 and 451 do not apply to a law enforcement officer while in the performance of his duties as a law enforcement officer.

750.452: House of ill-fame; keeping, maintaining or operating

Any person who shall keep, maintain or operate, or aid and abet in keeping, maintaining or operating a house of ill-fame, bawdy house or any house or place resorted to for the purpose of prostitution or lewdness shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or by a fine of not more than 2,500 dollars.

750.453: Providing incriminating testimony or evidence; use of truthful testimony, evidence, or other information against witness in criminal case

A person shall not be excused from attending and testifying or producing any books, papers, or other documents before a court or magistrate upon an investigation, proceeding, or trial for a violation of this chapter on the ground that the testimony or evidence may tend to degrade or incriminate the person. Truthful testimony, evidence, or other truthful information compelled under this section and any information derived directly or indirectly from that truthful testimony, evidence, or other truthful information shall not be used against the witness in a criminal case, except for impeachment purposes or in a prosecution for perjury or otherwise failing to testify or produce evidence as required.

750.454: Leasing houses for purposes of prostitution; misdemeanor

Any person who shall let any dwelling house, knowing that the lessee intends to use it as a house of ill-fame or place of resort for the purpose of prostitution and lewdness, or for the purpose of gambling for money or other property, or who shall knowingly permit such lessee to use the same for such purpose, or who shall receive any rent for any dwelling, house, room, or apartment which is used as a house of ill-fame or place of resort for prostitutes, or for the purpose of prostitution and lewdness, or for the purpose of gambling for money or other property, having reasonable cause to believe such house, room, or apartment is used for any such purpose, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 6 months or a fine of not more than $750.00. However, no person shall be liable for receiving rent as aforesaid for any period prior to the time when he or she has reasonable cause to believe that such house, room, or apartment is used for any such purpose.

750.455: Pandering; felony

Any person who shall procure a female inmate for a house of prostitution; or who shall induce, persuade, encourage, inveigle or entice a female person to become a prostitute; or who by promises, threats, violence or by any device or scheme, shall cause, induce, persuade, encourage, take, place, harbor, inveigle or entice a female person to become an inmate of a house of prostitution or assignation place, or any place where prostitution is practiced, encouraged or allowed; or any person who shall, by promises, threats, violence or by any device or scheme, cause, induce, persuade, encourage, inveigle or entice an inmate of a house of prostitution or place of assignation to remain therein as such inmate; or any person who by promises, threats, violence, by any device or scheme, by fraud or artifice, or by duress of person or goods, or by abuse of any position of confidence or authority, or having legal charge, shall take, place, harbor, inveigle, entice, persuade, encourage or procure any female person to enter any place within this state in which prostitution is practiced, encouraged or allowed, for the purpose of prostitution; or who shall inveigle, entice, persuade, encourage, or procure any female person to come into this state or to leave this state for the purpose of prostitution; or who upon the pretense of marriage takes or detains a female person for the purpose of sexual intercourse; or who shall receive or give or agree to receive or give any money or thing of value for procuring or attempting to procure any female person to become a prostitute or to come into this state or leave this state for the purpose of prostitution, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 20 years.

750.456: Placing wife in house of prostitution; felony

Placing wife by fraud, etc., in house of prostitution-Any person who by force, fraud, intimidation or threat places or leaves, or procures any other person to place or leave his wife in a house of prostitution or to lead a life of prostitution, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 20 years.

750.457: Earnings of prostitute, accepting

Accepting money, etc., from earnings of prostitute-Any person who shall knowingly accept, receive, levy or appropriate any money or valuable thing without consideration from the proceeds of the earnings of any woman engaged in prostitution, or any person, knowing a female to be a prostitute, shall live or derive support or maintenance, in whole or in part, from the earnings or proceeds of the prostitution of said prostitute, or from moneys loaned or advanced to or charged against her by any keeper or manager or inmate of a house or other place where prostitution is practiced or allowed, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not more than 20 years. And such acceptance, receipt, levy or appropriation of such money or valuable thing, shall, upon any proceeding or trial for violation of this section, be presumptive evidence of lack of consideration.

750.458: Detaining female in house of prostitution for debt

Detaining female in house of prostitution for debt contracted while there-Any person who attempts to detain any female person in a disorderly house or house of prostitution because of any debt or debts she has contracted, or is said to have contracted while living in said house, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than 2 nor more than 20 years.

750.459: Transporting female for prostitution; felony

Any person who shall knowingly transport or cause to be transported, or aid or assist in obtaining transportation for, by any means of conveyance, into, through or across this state, any female person for the purpose of prostitution or with the intent and purpose to induce, entice or compel such female person to become a prostitute shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 20 years; any person who may commit the crime in this section mentioned may be prosecuted, indicted, tried and convicted in any county or city in or through which he shall so transport or attempt to transport any female person as aforesaid.

750.460: Acts committed outside state

Acts committed outside state-It shall not be a defense to a prosecution for any of the acts prohibited in the next 5 preceding sections of this chapter that any part of such act or acts shall have been committed outside this state, and the offense shall in such case be deemed and alleged to have been committed and the offender tried and punished in any county in which the prostitution was intended to be practiced or in which the offense was consummated, or any overt act in furtherance of the offense shall have been committed.

750.461: Competency of person to testify for or against accused notwithstanding person's marriage to accused

An individual referred to in sections 455 to 459 may be a competent witness in a prosecution under this chapter to testify for or against the accused as to any transaction or as to any conversation with the accused or by the accused with another person in the individual's presence regardless of whether the individual married the accused before or after the violation or whether the individual is called as a witness during the existence of the marriage or after its dissolution.

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