ABSTRACT
If the female prostitute remains a paradigmatic figure in contemporary discussions of heterosexual morality, posited as embodying an illicit expression of sexuality, it is the law that consolidates, reproduces and maintains the distinction between moral and immoral forms of female sexuality. Prostitution itself is not criminalised in the majority of Western nations, and is legally regarded as a private transaction conducted between two consenting adults. However, as has been documented in the preceding chapter, this has not always been the case, and some countries laws remain which continue to criminalise the act of prostitution. Relationships with police may often then be at least cordial, and it is not unknown for sexual relationships to develop between police and sex workers. Establishing the specialised vice squads, organising covert operations and monitoring prostitution often proves an expensive business for the police.
