The New York State Judiciary announced a groundbreaking Human Trafficking Intervention Initiative last month to address the state’s festering problem of sex trafficking. The effort’s linchpin is simple: Treat trafficking victims like victims — even if arrested for prostitution. If New York’s initiative is conducted well, it holds the promise of decreasing both prostitution and sex trafficking in our communities.
The initiative is the nation’s first statewide system of dedicated courts designed to examine postarraignment prostitution-related cases and identify defendants who are being sold by others and are sex-trafficking victims. Once consensus is reached among the judge, prosecutor and defense lawyer that the person charged is a trafficking victim, the courts will connect victims who agree to necessary services.
