Assignment 4 CRJ 422
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Eastern Kentucky University *
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422
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Law
Date
May 22, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by MegaSummerRabbit34
Kaylie Shannon
10/8/23
CRJ 422
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Modern prohibitions of human trafficking in the United States have their roots in the 13
th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which barred slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865. Prior to 2000, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed human trafficking cases under several federal statutes related to involuntary servitude and slavery, but the criminal laws were narrow and patchwork. The
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (par. 1, https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/key-legislation
). The National Human Trafficking Hotline states that The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 “is the first comprehensive federal law to address trafficking in persons. The law provides a three-
pronged approach that includes prevention, protection, and prosecution” (par 1, https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/federal-law#:~:text=The
%20Trafficking%20Victims%20Protection%20Act,prevention%2C%20protection%2C%20and
%20prosecution
). The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was reauthorized many times, implementing more protection for human trafficking victims. There was also the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of “2003, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2017 and 2018” (
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/federal-law#:~:text=The
%20Trafficking%20Victims%20Protection%20Act,prevention%2C%20protection%2C%20and
%20prosecution
). Earlier than 2000, the 13
th
Amendment of the United States Constitution, which was established in 1865, “released more than 4 million slaves from bandage” (pg. 4, “
Combating Human Trafficking: A Multidisciplinary Approach”)
. The 14
th
Amendment was also a significant change within the U.S. regarding human trafficking. This amendment was a “reattempt to secure the rights of former slaves as full citizens of the U.S.” The Dream Act of 2012 helped to “protect children of illegal immigrants from deportation and allowing them to pursue the same future offered children of legitimate citizens” (pg. 21, “
Combating Human Trafficking: A Multidisciplinary Approach”)
. According to the chapter 2 PowerPoint, there was also “federal initiative to deport illegal immigration rather than incarcerarion” and also, according to the chapter 2 powerpoint, the DHS, Department of Homeland Security, “can remove non violent illegal immigrants if it’s in the best interest of the country.” Other laws that the U.S. has implemented in order to combat human trafficking is the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which was reauthorized in 2005 and 2022. This act “creates and supports comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and
stalking, and was administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and Health and Human Services” (
https://nnedv.org/content/violence-against-women-act/
). This Act not only protects women, but as of 2013, it also “protects immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, college students and youth, and public housing residents. provides survivors, the thousands of local programs that serve them, and communities with much-needed resources for housing, legal assistance, alternatives to criminal responses, and prevention programming. It also includes new economic justice provisions and bolsters access for survivors of all genders by strengthening non-
discrimination laws and creating an LGBTQ services program”
(
https://nnedv.org/content/violence-against-women-act/
). According to the Department of Justice,
on their website they have a link to where they have a national strategy to combat human trafficking. This means that there are several steps implemented in order to combat human trafficking in the most effective way possible. These include: “identification: or to enhance capacity to detect human trafficking and identify human trafficking victims, protection: to expand capacity to stabilize and provide services to survivors, prosecution: enhance capacity to investigate and prosecute trafficking, prevention: enhance capacity to prevent human trafficking, and enhance impact of DOJ wide anti trafficking efforts” (
https://www.justice.gov/d9/press-
releases/attachments/2022/01/31/doj_ht_strategy.pdf
). According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “
State and federal laws addressing human trafficking include the topics of criminal penalties, judicial protections, funds and services, administration and cooperation, and awareness and regulation” (par. 1, https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-
trafficking-state-laws
). “In 2003, Washington became the first state to criminalize human trafficking. Since then, every state has enacted laws establishing criminal penalties for traffickers
seeking to profit from forced labor or sexual servitude” (par. 2
https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-
criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
). For “trafficking victims in the judicial system, measures have provided immunity to, diversion from, and affirmative defenses against, criminal prosecution for actions victims were forced to commit by their traffickers (par. 40, https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
). Another U.S. law that was passed is called the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, which was passed in 2014. This law “placed requirements upon states to address child sex trafficking among the children under the child welfare agency’s care and supervision” (
https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
). The laws passed in the U.S. to combat issues of human trafficking not only raises awareness to U.S. citizens, but it also raises awareness to the public at large, and for businesses as well. It raises awareness for the public at large by “disseminating information about the national human trafficking hotline, requires state entities to engage in public awareness campaigns, and commemorates efforts to combat trafficking, and for businesses, it Requires disclosures of anti-trafficking efforts, e
ncourages voluntary anti-trafficking commitments, sets standards for licensing in some professions and for advertising certain services, and requires anti-trafficking training” (
https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
). Along with all these laws and acts that the U.S. government has put in place in order to combat human trafficking, there is also a National Human Trafficking Hotline that can be utilized. Although this
hotline is not available to all 50 states, it is available to 29 states plus the District of Columbia. The purpose of the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which is a phone service and also a website, and “members of the public can call to report suspected cases of trafficking, survivors can call for help, or interested persons can contact for trafficking information” (
https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
). According to the National Conference of State Legislatures maps, not every single state in the U.S. has requirements to effectively combat human trafficking, but there is progress being made. For example, there are only “22 states with special funds to provide services for human trafficking survivors” (
https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/human-trafficking-state-laws
) and it shows a map of the 22 states colored in that have the funds for services of trafficking survivors. I
find it interesting that Kentucky is one of the states that has special funding for trafficking survivors, but other states do not. I feel like the U.S. criminal justice system has implemented lots of acts, laws, regulations, and protections regarding combating human trafficking, and there has been a lot of improvement in the last few centuries, but I believe that there is still a lot of work and improvement to be done.
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