Anatomy of Offending: Human Trafficking in the United States, 2006–2011

Author: Denton, Erin

Abstract: Research on human trafficking to date reveals certain limitations. First, little empirical research exists that focuses specifically on analyzing occurrences of human-trafficking incidents. Second, investigations of disaggregated data on persons and circumstances remain rare. As a consequence, who does what to whom, and how often, remains unclear. This is problematic because current trends in trafficking research affect the direction of legislation meant to combat trafficking, and inadequate research can lead to inadequate legislation. It is paramount to understand human-trafficking actors by their actions, pathways, and networks that determine their inclusion in this underground economy. This article uses 6 years (2006–2011) of successfully prosecuted human-trafficking legal case files from the United States in order to consider how trafficking networks operate. Findings suggest that insofar as power and influence within a trafficking network are concerned, gender may not matter in the traditional sense of subjugation: There is little to no difference between network centrality scores of male and female traffickers. Additionally, findings suggest that traffickers and trafficked individuals more often than not are from the same origin: meaning, being a migrant matters insofar as who is likely to be both trafficker and trafficked individual. An individual is more likely to be trafficked by someone from within one’s own community regardless of whether he or she is trafficked transnationally or regionally. This article highlights the importance of social networks and migrants in the commission of the trafficking offense.

Keywords: criminal network analysis, human trafficking, migration, social networks, trafficking for sexual exploitation