I started when the father of my child decided to take off with another woman. I was living in the Bronx, couldn't make rent, and [had to] take care of my two children. So, I moved in with my parents. But I couldn't find a job and still have time for my kids. I knew that my boyfriend's friends wanted to get up with me, wanted to sleep with me. I was flirting and said, "I'll fuck you for $100." They said, "Yeah," and then they asked if I wanted to meet their friends. It was easy money. I didn't have to get up and go to work. I did it when I wanted, and I just had to buy nothing [to do it], no clothes, nothing. And since it was usually friends of people I knew, I felt pretty safe. So, I guess it was really because I had to take care of my kids and I really couldn't pay my bills. When I made enough, I was able to move to the projects and get my own place...[I'd like to leave the work in a] few years, maybe 5 or 6 [more years] until I save money and can go back to school. - Angle, age 29

Sex work is a term used to refer to all aspects of the lawful and unlawful sex industry. It includes prostitutes, strippers, and dominatrices. Criminalization of prostitution has a severe impact on sex workers, both by inhibiting their ability to create stable lives for themselves, and by creating an environment in which violence against them often goes unaddressed. Sex workers live under the daily threat of arrest, deportation, and violence. These dangers are compounded by the stigma, isolation, and invisibility associated with their work. In Behind Closed Doors: An Analysis of Indoor Sex Work in New York City, a recent report from the Sex Workers Project (SWP) at the Urban Justice Center (UJC), we examine the quality of life issues that indoor sex workers face and the impact of how law enforcement approaches this population in New York City.