It has been suggested that the police, whose headquarters are located right next to The Block, chose to contain the prostitution and drug dealing in that small section of Baltimore rather than combat it.

[3] At the beginning of the 19th century, the growing population, low wages, and political corruption in Baltimore led to an environment that allowed sex work to flourish.

[5] Madams and sex workers were "easy targets" due to their low social status, so it was common for them to be extorted by businesses and individuals.

Brothel landlords were able to make a large income from the industry without being directly involved, which prevented their reputation from being ruined.

[5] Marginalized groups at the time, such as Irish and Jewish immigrants, also made it practice to lease properties to madams as a way of ensuring they would always have enough cash on hand in case that they couldn't get credit.

[5] The sale of alcohol allowed madams to keep their income high while decreasing the pressure clients may have felt to have sex.

[5] During the Civil War, Union soldiers that occupied camps surrounding the city became well-known clients of many brothels.

[5] Many women turned towards sex work as a way of making a living while their husbands fought and died in the war.

The Baltimore Sun was a critic of the way brothels were handled, claiming that they had enough money that they could repeatedly pay the fines that were being imposed upon them as a way of avoiding legal trouble.

[5] In the 1840s, more attention was given to brothel landlords, however the fines weren't enough to outweigh the large income they were making through the sex trade.

[5] In 1871, the city's Board of Police Commission issued an order that required the arrest of all female street-walkers at night.

Some of the most popular leisure spots in Baltimore included Leavitt's Gemote Palace (1864), George Nachman and Thomas Turpin's French Froliques (1877), Joseph Bucholtz's Pacific Garden Theater, and Haymarket Concert Saloon.

[5] The increase in women in the labor market also made it safer for sex workers who were on the streets late at night.

During the 19th century, it was uncommon for a woman to be on the streets late at night unless they were selling sex, which made it easier for officers to arrest them.

[5] This made it easier for sex workers to blend in on the streets, and they no longer needed to rely on the safety that brothels provided.

Baltimore began creating confined red-light districts with the belief that it would be the best way to manage the sex trade in their city.

[5] Shortly after, fourteen commissioners went undercover to develop the Maryland Vice Commission Report, detailing sex-work in Baltimore.

The main reason sex workers went into the job was due to economic hardships, specifically family crisis, such as a spouse getting sick and being unable to work.

Federal prohibition was repealed in 1933, and shortly after, the Block was filled with strip bars that were occupied by many sex workers.

[6] In 1955, night clubs that allowed sex work would be shut down, in compliance with City Judge Reuben Oppenheimer's ruling.

An investigation in 1961 that involved undercover police showed that sex could still be purchased in most drinking establishments around Baltimore.

[10] It is also illegal to run a house of prostitutes, and anyone convicted of doing so is guilty of a misdemeanor and is also subject to up to a year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.

[11] Lastly, receiving money from prostitutes is illegal as well, such as being a pimp, and anyone convicted to doing so is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

It is a permanent criminal record that can cause someone to lose their job or have difficulties securing houses or a spot at a university or graduate school.