Prostitution — Definitions

  1. Law
  2. Tennessee Code
  3. Criminal Offenses
  4. Offenses Against Person
  5. Sexual Offenses
  6. Prostitution — Definitions

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As used in §§39-13-512 —39-13-515, unless the context otherwise requires:

  1. “House of prostitution” means any place where prostitution or the promotion of prostitution is regularly carried on by one (1) or more persons under the control, management or supervision of another;
  2. “Inmate” means, within the meaning of this part concerning prostitution, a person who engages in prostitution in or through the agency of a house of prostitution;
  3. “Patronizing prostitution” means soliciting or hiring another person with the intent that the other person engage in prostitution, or entering or remaining in a house of prostitution for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity;
    1. “Promoting prostitution” means:
      1. Owning, controlling, managing, supervising, or in any way keeping, alone or in association with others, a business for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, or a house of prostitution;
      2. Procuring an inmate for a house of prostitution;
      3. Encouraging, inducing, or otherwise purposely causing another to become a prostitute;
      4. Soliciting a person to patronize a prostitute;
      5. Procuring a prostitute for a patron; or
      6. Soliciting, receiving, or agreeing to receive any benefit for engaging in any of the activities defined in subdivisions (4)(A)(i)-(v); and
    2. “Promoting prostitution” does not include a person who solicits, procures, induces, encourages, or attempts to cause another to patronize a prostitute if:
      1. The person promoting the prostitute and the prostitute being promoted are the same person; and
      2. The intent of the promotion is the solicitation of business for only the prostitute engaging in the promotion;
  5. “Promoting prostitution of a minor” means engaging in any of the activities described in subdivision (4) when one (1) or more of the persons engaged in prostitution is less than eighteen (18) years of age or has an intellectual disability;
  6. “Prostitution” means engaging in, or offering to engage in, sexual activity as a business or being an inmate in a house of prostitution or loitering in a public place for the purpose of being hired to engage in sexual activity; and
  7. “Sexual activity” means any sexual relations including homosexual sexual relations.


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