A person generally commits the crime of prostitution by engaging in sexual contact or offering to engage in sexual contact in exchange for money or other consideration.

It is also a criminal offense to solicit (on a person's own behalf, or on behalf of another person), promote, or compel prostitution. For example, most states have laws that make it illegal to buy, sell, or profit from prostitution—which is generally the business of pimps and other human traffickers—known as pimping, pandering, procuring, soliciting, promoting, or compelling prostitution.

Prostitution laws vary from state to state and are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Hawaii, prostitution is illegal under Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 712-1200. A person commits the offense of prostitution if they engage in, or agree to engage in, or offer to engage in sexual conduct with another person for a fee. The law also criminalizes the acts of soliciting prostitution, which includes the act of paying, agreeing to pay, or offering to pay a fee to another person for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct. Additionally, promoting prostitution, which can include pimping, pandering, procuring, or profiting from the prostitution of another, is also illegal under Sections 712-1202 to 712-1209. These offenses range in severity from misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the specific circumstances, such as whether the prostitution involved a minor or was conducted as part of a larger prostitution enterprise.