The mean police annual expenditure to enforce prostitution laws in each city in 1985 was $3,322,230. Officers working in pairs spent an average of 21 hours per arrest. The mean judicial personnel cost for each city in 1985 was $2,226,719 for prostitution cases, and the mean 1985 corrections expenditure for each city was $1,985,638 for prostitution offenders. Well over two million violent and property crimes were reported in 1985 to the police in the 16 study cities. Arrests were not made in 83 percent of these cases. All factors considered, prostitution laws represent lost opportunities for protecting society from violent crimes. The significant amount of criminal justice resources devoted to the enforcement of prostitution laws could better be spent on the enforcement of laws more directly related to citizen safety. 7 tables and 118 footnotes.