Every day in the United States, children and adolescents are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. These are not only illegal activities, but also forms of violence and abuse that result in immediate and long-term physical, mental, and emotional harm to victims and survivors.

In 2013, the Institute of Medicine/National Research Council released the report Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States. The report found that the United States is in the very early stages of recognizing, understanding, and developing solutions for these crimes.

Law enforcement professionals, attorneys, and judges all have important roles to play in responding to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States. Their knowledge and ability to identify victims, investigate cases, and make appropriate referrals is crucial to the development of an overall response to these crimes.

This Guide for the Legal Sector provides a summary of information from the original report that is most relevant to individuals within the legal sector who interact in some way with victims, survivors, and perpetrators of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. This includes federal, state, county, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies; police officers and investigators; probation officers; parole officers; corrections officers; prosecutors and defense attorneys; victim advocates; and judges.

This guide includes definitions of key terms and an overview of risk factors and consequences; noteworthy examples of efforts by law enforcement personnel, attorneys, the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and the judiciary; multisector and interagency efforts in which the legal sector plays an important role; and recommendations aimed at identifying, preventing, and responding to these crimes.

Contents

• 1. Introduction
  • PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE
  • THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
  • HOW THIS GUIDE IS ORGANIZED
• 2. The Problem
  • THE DEFINITION ISSUE
  • GUIDING PRINCIPLES
  • EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM
  • RISK FACTORS
  • CONSEQUENCES
• 3. How Law Enforcement Professionals Can Help
  • STATE AND LOCAL APPROACHES
  • FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPROACHES
• 4. How Attorneys Can Help
  • PROSECUTORS
  • DEFENSE ATTORNEYS
• 5. How the Juvenile Justice System, the Judiciary, and the Criminal Justice System Can Help
  • THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
  • THE JUDICIARY
  • THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
• 6. Multisector and Interagency Initiatives Addressing Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors
• 7. Recommended Strategies
  • INCREASE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING
  • STRENGTHEN THE LAW'S RESPONSE
  • STRENGTHEN RESEARCH ON PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION
  • SUPPORT COLLABORATION
  • SUPPORT INFORMATION SHARING
  • FINAL THOUGHTS
• References

In 2013, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council published a report about commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States. The report, Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States, was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It provides a comprehensive view of this issue and offers a detailed explanation of its findings and recommendations.

The content of this guide was derived entirely from the original report as an abridged version for professionals in the legal sector. This guide, which was also funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, was edited by Rona Briere and Patti Simon.

Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States was authored by the IOM/NRC Committee on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States:

• ELLEN WRIGHT CLAYTON (Co-Chair), Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Law, and Co-Founder, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University
• RICHARD D. KRUGMAN (Co-Chair), Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, University of Colorado School of Medicine
• TONYA CHAFFEE, Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Support, Advocacy and Resource Center, University of California, San Francisco
• ANGELA DIAZ, Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• ABIGAIL ENGLISH, Director, Center for Adolescent Health & the Law
• BARBARA GUTHRIE, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, Yale University School of Nursing
• SHARON LAMBERT, Associate Professor of Clinical/Community Psychology, The George Washington University
• MARK LATONERO, Research Director, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, University of Southern California
• NATALIE McCLAIN, Assistant Professor, Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing
• CALLIE MARIE RENNISON, Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver
• JOHN A. RICH, Professor and Chair of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University School of Public Health
• JONATHAN TODRES, Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law
• PATTI TOTH, Program Manager, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission