Laypersons’ recognition of and attribution of blame in situations involving domestic minor sex trafficking

Hardin, Kaitlin; Lundon, Georgia M.; Henderson, Hayden; Quas, Jodi A.

doi:10.1080/1068316x.2022.2139377

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 51 publications

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“…Thus, the tendency to label trafficking victims as delinquent youth, which potentially increases the amount of blame placed on them for their victimization, seems pervasive. Not only do laypersons, law enforcement, and court professionals exhibit this tendency (Farrell et al, 2014; Halter, 2010; Winks et al, 2022), but our results suggest that authors of appellate opinions do as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Successful Criminal Prosecutions of Sex Trafficking and Sexual Abuse of Minors: A Comparative Analysis

et al. 2023

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Despite increased awareness of sex trafficking of minors in the U.S., prosecution of traffickers remains difficult, in part because of victim uncooperativeness. There are questions about how that uncooperativeness is expressed, whether it is evident in successfully prosecuted cases, and whether it is unique to trafficked minors or it emerges in similar age victims of sexual abuse. To provide insight relevant to these questions, we compared appellate opinions in two types of successfully prosecuted criminal cases: sex trafficking and sexual abuse of adolescent victims. In the trafficking opinions, victims were rarely described as disclosing on their own or as knowing their trafficker before the victimization. The opinions also often alluded to the trafficking victims’ uncooperativeness and delinquency history, and frequently mentioned electronic evidence and prosecution experts. The sexual abuse opinions, in contrast, tended to suggest that victims’ own disclosures initiated the case, perpetrators were known and trusted adults, and caregiver support during the case was common. Finally, the sexual abuse opinions never explicitly mentioned victim uncooperativeness or electronic evidence and rarely mentioned expert testimony or delinquency. The different characterizations of the two case types highlight the need for improved education concerning effective prosecution of sex crimes against minors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%