In the very few places in the US where prostitution is legal, the general population appear to have found it a "better arrangement," and public support for maintaining the status quo seems to be pretty general. Even in a few places where it's technically illegal, where it's fairly open it hasn't caused a lot of public concern.
While I haven't checked recently, some years back it was noticeable that the Nevada locales where it was legal had lower VD rates than where it was prohibited; and "way back when I was in the Army in Arizona," the Arizona counties adjacent to Mexican towns where it was legal were spectacularly lower in STD infection rates than where there was less ready access.
Twenty or thirty years ago, Colorado Springs voted on whether to legalize prostitution, but that vote failed by a few dozen votes. A candidate for mayor ran on the platform "I'm the biggest pimp in town so I might as well be mayor," and lost by a half-dozen votes.
(Colorado Springs is quite near the US Air Force Academy, which supplies - I'm told - the principal "client base" for prostitution there.)
Nevada permits prostitution, but indiviual localities can opt to ban it, and Las Vegas is a main exception. Prostitution is NOT LEGAL in Las Vegas (because the casinos don't want any distractions from their business?) but a recent report was that state courts have held that it's only the payment that's prohibited. One can call a provider (or her(?) agent) who is outside the area where it's illegal and give a credit card number, so that the payment occurs elsewhere and the prostitute will - according to reports - not be questioned regarding the "provision of services" within Las Vegas.
Having not lived in an area where it's legal, I can't offer any personal opinion about how well it works in practice.
I have had "casual acquaintance," in places where it was not legal, with a few "independents" (the ones I've met all had other day jobs, where I met them) who seemed quite ordinary persons who practiced of their own free will, mostly for the money. (Other reasons aside, I never had that much money to spend, so have no first hand knowledge of their "other business.")
Others with more direct contact with the trade do indicate that it's hard to find one (where it's not legal) not addicted to something. Currently in my area it's usually "meth." This suggests that some of the horror stories are at least partially supportable, although I can't say whether they're "controlled by others" or whether they're just enslaved by their addictions.
Few people are in a position to see all sides of it, or all the possibilities and/or risks. That makes it very difficult to take a firm stance for or against legalization (or simply de-criminalizing).
At least in my area, it's quite obvious that should a miracle happen and it be decriminalized, those who can't accept that not everyone agrees with their own "moral imperitives" would be quite certain to apply sufficient rules and restrictions to insure that the worst possible outcomes are the guaranteed result.