They are not two different names for the same profession. The biggest difference is that prostitution is not legal in California, but escorting is as long as no sex acts occur.
In this article, our sex crimes lawyers will go over the actual differences between the two activities. If you have any questions, contact one of our defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Kerry L. Armstrong, APLC online or call An escort is a person who provides companionship to others, often accompanying them to social events or engagements. They may offer a range of services, from simple companionship to more intimate interactions, depending on the arrangement with their client.
People hire escorts for their time and company. They pay escorts to accompany them on dates or social functions, or even just for conversation. Escorting is legal in California. However, the person must be a licensed escort. Often they are booked through an escort agency or from an advertisement. This is a gray area. Someone cannot hire an escort for sexual services, or else that would be prostitution. If the prosecution can prove that the person hired the escort for a sexual purpose, the person could be guilty of a crime.
In that case, simply hiring the escort could constitute an act done in furtherance of prostitution, even if the escort did not actually engage in any sexual act. Prostitution is illegal throughout California. State law prohibits both engaging in prostitution and soliciting prostitution. The sexual act does not even have to occur. Just making an agreement to pay or be paid for a sexual act, along with a small act done in furtherance of that agreement, can lead to a prostitution charge.
The act could have happened before or after the agreement. Solicitation goes hand-in-hand with prostitution, with the same penalties. Solicitation is asking another person to engage in a lewd act for compensation and intending to do so. The person they are soliciting does not need to be a prostitute. The act does not even need to actually happen.
