Human Trafficking and the Passage of the 2000 TVPA: A Comparative Analysis of Prosecution of Sex Trafficking, Child Pornography, and Sexual Abuse Cases

ABSTRACT

We examined changes in patterns of federal prosecutions of sex trafficking cases, including the success of those prosecutions, between 2000, when congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protections Act (TVPA), and 2020. For comparison purposes, we evaluated changes in federal child pornography and sexual abuse prosecutions over the same time. Across all case types, the number of prosecutions increased through the early 2000s and decreased after 2012 though 2020. This decrease occurred slightly later and was proportionally more dramatic for sex trafficking than for child pornography and sexual abuse. The success of prosecutions for all three case types was high, although for trafficking cases, success decreased post 2015, a potentially concerning trend given that the number of cases prosecuted also decreased. Finally, most cases ended in convictions, typically via plea deals. Sex trafficking cases were slightly less likely to be pled, but among pled cases, plea discounts occurred. Neither of the latter trends varied over time, suggesting consistency in outcomes, especially among trafficking cases. Results highlight areas of potential success linked to the TVPA but also areas of ongoing concern and a need for continued improvement in federal efforts to prosecute sex trafficking.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex trafficking
• federal prosecution
• sexual abuse
• child pornography
• conviction
• plea discount

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Grant #17STCIN00001-05-00 to Quas and Redlich and by the National Science Foundation Grant #1921187 to Quas. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or National Science Foundation.