When One Side Is Criminalized: The Logic Test

This episode examines what happens when policy criminalizes only one side of a consensual adult transaction: the work remains, but the structures that make it safe—workplaces, contracts, screening, and collective support—are erased. It shows how criminalizing intermediaries or clients pushes work into hidden, unregulated spaces, increases vulnerability, blurs the line between consent and coercion, and makes real exploitation harder to detect and address. The episode argues that existing laws already criminalize coercion and trafficking, and that effective responses focus on enforcing labor protections, improving visibility and reporting, and expanding safe, regulated work opportunities rather than dismantling the ecosystem that protects workers.