ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the nature of prostitute homicide and the characteristics of the offender responsible for these crimes. It suggests that violence against prostitutes may be considered as part of a continuum of violence against women more generally, and not just against prostitutes specifically. The literature in the UK on violence against prostitutes show us that prostitutes who solicit on the streets are more frequent and more at risk than those who work indoors. J. Miller and Schwartz in their work discuss powerful ideologies that define women and prostitutes as sexual property. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between sexually and non-sexually motivated homicides. One homicide may have an overtly sexual element to it, whereas another may show no such evidence but may still be motivated by sexual drives. In terms of sexual or theft related activity, 42 per cent of prostitute victims were found completely naked, compared 18 per cent of sexual and 8 per cent non-sexual homicide victims.
