Reflections on Multi-Agency Approaches to Organised Criminal Exploitation in Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Cases Relating to County Lines in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service

• In Event: Criminology of Mobility Panel 1. Regulation and Prevention of Human trafficking

Abstract

Multi-agency responses to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) are vital to improving the effectiveness of responses in targeting enforcement against those who exploit others and safeguarding the vulnerable (Andell and Pitts, 2017). However, categories of victim and perpetrator are sometimes blurred (Murphy, 2022; Andell, 2023). For some, victimhood in MSHT emerges later in criminal justice system processes (Andell, 2023), especially in prisons, which can also inadvertently provide opportunities for further exploitation. The need for better collaboration across the criminal justice system was highlighted by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC, 2022) to provide improved analysis for safeguarding threats, reducing reoffending and increasing public protection. The paper provides a summary of findings from empirical research. It highlights that prison and probation staff can and ought to play a key role as part of multi-agency responses in addressing modern slavery in the secure prison estate and in community settings.

Author

• Kelly Samantha Gray, University of Suffolk