ELYSSE MAE O’CONNOR

It is illegal to promote prostitution—meaning to own or operate a brothel, recruit prostitutes, encourage someone to become a prostitute, solicit customers for prostitutes, or profit from prostitution activities. Promoting prostitution is a Class E felony punishable by 1-6 years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000. The penalty increases to a Class A felony (15-60 years) if the person being prostituted is between 13 and 18 years old or intellectually disabled. It is not a defense that the police officer was not actually a minor, that the victim consented, or that the crime was never completed.

Penalty: Class E felony; 1-6 years; fine up to $3,000

This statute defines key terms used in Tennessee's prostitution laws: "house of prostitution" (a place where prostitution regularly occurs), "inmate" (a person working in a house of prostitution), "patronizing prostitution" (hiring someone for sex or entering a brothel for sex), and "promoting prostitution" (owning a brothel, recruiting prostitutes, encouraging someone to become a prostitute, or profiting from prostitution activities).

Penalty: Classification not specified