Information for the

Legal & Law Enforcement Communities

 

An electronic version of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) Guide to Addressing Human Trafficking in the State Courts is now available on the Human Trafficking and the States Courts Collaborative website www.htcourts.org/guide-chapter1.htm. The HT Guide was produced by the HT Collaborative, an initiative funded by the State Justice Institute (SJI).

 

• The Guide provides state court practitioners a comprehensive resource for:

• clarifying the types and dynamics of sex and labor human trafficking involving U.S. citizens and foreign nationals present in jurisdictions across the nation;

• identifying how traffickers and victims might appear in different types of state court cases, including criminal, family, juvenile, child protection, ordinance violation, and civil cases;

• accessing tools and guidelines for using the tools to help courts identify and process cases where trafficking is involved; and

• accessing links to other resources to help courts address trafficking-related problems.

 

Health and human service organizations, law enforcement agencies, and victim advocates may also find it valuable.

 

Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States: A Guide for the Legal Sector  (2014), by Institute of Medicine (IOM); National Research Council of the National Academies. The intended audience for this guide is the range of actors within the legal sector that may interact in some way with victims, survivors, and perpetrators of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors. The legal sector is understood to comprise two justice systems that operate in different but related realms: the adult criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system. Both systems encompass federal, state, county, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies; police officers and investigators; probation officers; parole officers; corrections officers; prosecutors and defense attorneys; victim advocates; and judges—all of whom have roles to play in responding to these crimes.

 

Freedom for All: An Attorney’s Guide to Fighting Human Trafficking (2015), by Kavitha Sreeharsha and Kelly Hyland of the Global Freedom Center. This book  demonstrates to attorneys across multiple practice areas how human trafficking intersects with their daily practice, how their skills translate, and how they can easily begin to integrate anti-trafficking into their work. It is as much a practical introduction to any student or practicing attorney as it is a lay of the land of current anti-trafficking legal efforts. The book also highlights the important contributions of numerous attorneys and exciting nascent developments. Whether criminal, corporate, employment, immigration, international or public interest, now is the moment to develop areas of the law, employ creative arguments and thinking, and implement new policies and programs. Efforts at all levels are sorely needed to increase identification, services and prevention - to make a true difference in the lives of trafficked persons. If you have ever asked yourself “What can I do?” Freedom for All gives you the answer.

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Remedies for Immigrant Victims of Crimes: U & T Visas,  a presentation by the WJCNY that explains eligibility for U- and T-visas, the application process and benefits of each, and how to decide whether to apply for U- or T-visa when eligible for both.