Assessing the Use of Law Enforcement and Prosecutorial Case Files to Understand Sex Trafficking in the United States: Caveats and Considerations

Author: Barrick, Kelle; Martin, Lauren; Matthias, Cynthia & Farrell, Amy

Abstract: Law enforcement has primarily been held responsible for the legal response to sex trafficking since it was recognized as a crime. Although much early research on sex trafficking was qualitative (e.g. primarily interviews with anti-trafficking professionals and people who have experienced or perpetrated trafficking), there has been a call for larger-scale quantitative research. However, large-scale surveys (e.g. National Crime Victimization Survey) do not capture human trafficking, and there are significant limitations to national-level crime statistics on human trafficking (e.g. Uniform Crime Reports). In the absence of large-scale quantitative survey datasets, researchers have turned to law enforcement case files. Although these data are useful in many respects, they cannot provide a comprehensive understanding of human trafficking, and researchers need guidance on their use. This study analyzed interviews with criminal legal professionals in the U.S. to identify gaps and contextualize the use of these administrative data in understanding sex trafficking. Findings suggest that these data are missing critical information to holistically understand trafficking, particularly issues around recruitment strategies/approaches, the size/scope of trafficking operations, and the outcomes of survivors when the criminal legal process is over. We strongly encourage researchers to be thoughtful about how they use, situate, and analyze this data.

Keywords: sex trafficking, administrative data, criminal legal case file data