Prosecuting Trafficking in Persons Cases: An Analysis of Local Strategies and Approaches

• In Event: Responses to Human Trafficking in the United States

Abstract

The Justice Research and Statistics Association, in conjunction with the National District Attorney’s Association, is engaged in a national study to assess the effectiveness of prosecutorial strategies designed to address Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases at the state and local levels. The first objective of the study is to identify strategies, approaches and tools that local prosecutors are currently using to address TIP cases. A second objective is to determine the effectiveness of selected promising approaches to TIP being used by local prosecutors. This presentation will present the results of the first part of the study, which is a survey of District Attorney’s offices across the United States about their state human trafficking statutes and use of those statutes in practice. The survey also examines local anti-trafficking practices, to include those with partners within and adjacent to the criminal justice system, and to understand factors impacting local decision making about whether cases are prosecuted at the federal or local level, using alternative charges, and obstacles that District Attorneys face in prosecuting cases. The results of this survey will inform the second phase of the project, which will include case studies in four U.S. cities of promising anti-trafficking models.

Author

• Kristina Lugo, Justice Research and Statistics Association