Nebraska § 28-801 - Prostitution; penalty; affirmative defense; immunity from prosecution; law enforcement officer; duties.

§ 28-801. Prostitution; penalty; affirmative defense; immunity from prosecution; law enforcement officer; duties.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, any person who performs, offers, or agrees to perform any act of sexual contact or sexual penetration, as those terms are defined in section 28-318, with any person not his or her spouse, in exchange for money or other thing of value, commits prostitution.

(2) Any person convicted of violating subsection (1) of this section shall be punished as follows:

(a) If such person has had no prior convictions or has had one prior conviction, such person shall be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor. If the court places such person on probation, such order of probation shall include, as one of its conditions, that such person shall satisfactorily attend and complete an appropriate mental health and substance abuse assessment conducted by a licensed mental health professional or substance abuse professional authorized to complete such assessment; and

(b) If such person has had two or more prior convictions, such person shall be guilty of a Class I misdemeanor. If the court places such person on probation, such order of probation shall include, as one of its conditions, that such person shall satisfactorily attend and complete an appropriate mental health and substance abuse assessment conducted by a licensed mental health professional or substance abuse professional authorized to complete such assessment.

(3) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that such person was a trafficking victim as defined in section 28-830.

(4) For purposes of this section, prior conviction means any conviction on or after July 14, 2006, for violation of subsection (1) of this section or any conviction on or after July 14, 2006, for violation of a city or village ordinance relating to prostitution.

(5) If the law enforcement officer determines, after a reasonable detention for investigative purposes, that a person suspected of or charged with a violation of subsection (1) of this section is (a) a person engaging in those acts as a direct result of being a trafficking victim as defined in section 28-830, such person shall be immune from prosecution for a prostitution offense or (b) a person under eighteen years of age, such person shall be immune from prosecution for a prostitution offense under this section and shall be subject to temporary custody under section 43-248 and further disposition under the Nebraska Juvenile Code. A law enforcement officer who takes a person under eighteen years of age into custody under this section shall immediately report an allegation of a violation of section 28-831 to the Department of Health and Human Services which shall commence an investigation within twenty-four hours under the Child Protection and Family Safety Act.