Navigating Police Partnerships: Legal Advocates and the Challenges of Serving Labor Trafficking Victims

• In Event: Research on Innovative Law Enforcement Responses to Crimes against Vulnerable Victims

Abstract

Legal advocates play a critical role in supporting labor trafficking victims, often serving as intermediaries between survivors and the justice system. As repeat players in task forces and collaborative groups, these advocates must navigate shifting law enforcement partnerships, competing institutional goals, and evolving anti-trafficking policies. The complexity of these interagency relationships directly impacts their ability to secure resources, facilitate victim-centered justice, and maximize the number of survivors served. This study examines how legal advocates manage these challenges by analyzing five labor trafficking cases, tracing key decision points from initial victim identification to case resolution. Cases include successful criminal prosecutions, civil remedies without prosecution, and cases stalled at the law enforcement stage. Using legal advocate records, client interview notes, stakeholder correspondence, court documents, and interviews, we employ a grounded theory approach to map relationships and institutional barriers. This study identifies the strategies legal advocates use to balance survivor needs with fluctuating law enforcement partnerships and explores the institutional barriers that shape the pursuit of justice for labor trafficking victims. By highlighting the tensions between advocacy and law enforcement collaboration, this research offers insight into the structural constraints and opportunities that influence victim support within the anti-trafficking landscape.

Authors

• Amelia Wagner, Northeastern University

• Amy Farrell, Northeastern University

• Chase Childress, Northeastern University

• Shawn Bhimani, Northeastern University

• Kayse Lee Maass, Northeastern University