Ill. AG: Craigslist dropping 'erotic services' ads

Law enforcement officials have often complained about the ease with which prostitutes and their clients can arrange encounters on the site, which lists free and paid ads for a wide range of services in more than 500 cities worldwide. But officials have stepped up their criticism since the slaying of masseuse Julissa Brisman, whose body was found April 14 in a Boston hotel. Police say the killer found her through a Craigslist ad.

Still, the sheer size and fragmentation of the Internet make the online sex market "virtually uncontrollable," said Ronald Weitzer, a professor at George Washington University who specializes in research on criminology and prostitution. He said he doubted the new efforts would "make a dent."

Weitzer worries more about whether the intense spotlight on Craigslist cast by the Boston killing could be distracting attention from deeper harms that haunt the sex trade. "This is a clear case where public policy is being inflamed by this particular incident," he said.

Most online sex transactions are for what Weitzer calls indoor prostitution, in which workers arrange for customers to meet them at private locations. These are usually set up by phone, e-mail or text message, providing a buffer of time and space that doesn't exist on sidewalks.

"People are much more likely to be assaulted and robbed and killed on the street," Weitzer said, so that's where law enforcement efforts should be concentrated.

For now, though, attorneys general remain focused on Craigslist, which they have come to see as a major artery of illegal sex work.

In November, Craigslist reached a deal with more than 40 states and U.S. territories in which the site agreed to stricter safeguards against illegal activity, including a credit card verification system for posters.

Craigslist has said the number of inappropriate listings decreased 95% after that, but law enforcement officials maintain that the effort fell short. Some remain skeptical.

"They made promises to clean up the site in November of '08 and they haven't," South Carolina Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster said. "Now, they're saying they're going to take other measures, and if they're no more effective than the last ones they took, the effort will be of no consequence."

He did not back off his recent threat to prosecute Craigslist if South Carolina-focused portions of the site are not cleared of prostitution-related ads by Friday.

Rhode Island Atty. Gen. Patrick C. Lynch said he was grateful to Craigslist for taking affirmative steps, but remained "curious and a bit anxious" about the site's ability to make the transition.

"What certainly can't be tolerated is some sort of bait-and-switch," he said.

Several other attorneys general echoed the note of caution, including Jerry Brown of California.

"This action must be followed up with smart enforcement," Brown said in a statement, "and the assurance that the site does not again become a cyber hub for teenage prostitution."

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david.sarno@latimes.com