Marshall University hosted a panel to brainstorm ideas for battling prostitution in the Huntington community.
News outlets report that about 200 students and residents attended the event in the Memorial Student Center Wednesday night.
Marshall University professor Maggie Stone revealed there are 1 million to 2 million active prostitutes in the country. She presented alternatives to jailing prostitutes including legalization and decriminalization.
Drug court judge Patricia Keller focused on current programs like the WEAR program, which works to cater to prostitutes’ needs with counseling. Keller says since the drug court’s inception, 100 people have graduated and 85 percent are never seen in the court system again.
The panel was part of an overall theme of events done by Women’s Connect, a partnership of the Women’s Center and Women’s Studies program.