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Evolving Approaches to Proactively Identifying and Investigating Sex Trafficking: A White Paper Analysis of AEquitas Roundtables

Vice style undercover operations are common tools used by law enforcement to proactively identify potential victims and perpetrators of human trafficking. However, as understanding of how such operations negatively impact victims of human trafficking has spread, jurisdictions have worked to consider other tactics and tools at their disposal to identify human traffickers.

In an attempt to better understand potential emerging best practices for human trafficking investigations, AEquitas hosted a series of roundtable discussions with law enforcement, prosecutors, allied professionals, and lived experience experts. This white paper describes the purpose and limitations of vice-style undercover operations in identifying human trafficking, reviews the outcome of the discussions from the AEquitas roundtables, and outlines promising strategies being used in place of undercover operations to better serve victims of human trafficking.

This resource was produced by AEquitas under 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.Evolving Approaches to Proactively Identifying and Investigating Sex Trafficking

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Human Trafficking Statute Compilation

All fifty states recognize human trafficking as a criminal offense and have some kind of state level statute criminalizing trafficking in persons. Many states have enacted comprehensive trafficking laws encompassing both labor trafficking and sex trafficking. Others have separated these offenses by statute. See how state laws compare between jurisdictions in the scope and type of criminal behavior they criminalize.

This compilation is current as of October 2025.

This project was developed under a grant awarded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

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Image Abuse Compilation

As the digital landscape changes, state laws continue to work to keep up with offenders who use digital means to harass and violate their victims. This statute compilation examines state laws geared to combat digital abuse ranging from the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, non-consensual image distribution, and “deepfake” images designed to make an individual appear in a compromising or sexually explicit position.

This compilation is current as of October 2025.

This project was supported by Grant 15JOVW-24-GK-02960-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.

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Leveraging Attorney General Offices’ Varied Roles in Combating Labor Trafficking

Labor trafficking continues to be frequently under-identified. Traffickers use individualized tactics to compel labor based on a victim’s vulnerabilities and circumstances, which may include a combination of underhanded strategies ranging from intimidation and threats to physical violence. Labor trafficking can occur in any industry, illicit or legitimate, and is highly underreported, unidentified, and under investigated. Victims themselves often do not recognize their exploitation at all; and even when they do, may not understand it as criminal. AGO Article Final to OVC 4

 While state Attorney General’s Offices (AGOs) vary in size, jurisdiction, and organization, each can help improve their state responses to labor trafficking. This resource provides strategies and examples of how each state and territory’s AGO can leverage their leadership role to combat labor trafficking, including working with local prosecutors and a variety of state agencies. It will enable multiple stakeholders to evaluate local and state systems’ policies and procedures to determine the most effective route to pursue prosecution of these offenses.

This resource was produced by AEquitas under 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Jury Selection in Human Trafficking Cases

Prosecutors can engage in voir dire to gain insight into the minds of potential jurors, educate them about the reality of human trafficking in their communities, and begin to lay the foundation of their case. Human trafficking cases can be legally and factually complex and victims’ behavior may not align with preconceived notions of many jurors. Voir dire is an opportunity for prosecutors to demonstrate leadership in the courtroom by clearly and concisely discussing key legal fundamentals and educating the jurors about sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and related topics of coercion and trauma.

This resource was produced by AEquitas under 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.Jury Selection in HT

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State-Level Responses to Labor Trafficking

Labor traffickers exploit vulnerable individuals and utilize gaps within labor markets. Addressing the widespread nature of labor trafficking requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach that includes victim identification and support, as well as the investigation and prosecution of offenders. State-level efforts can effectively combat labor trafficking by building multidisciplinary coalitions, engaging state agencies with regulatory authority over businesses, and harnessing the leadership of state Offices of the Attorney General.

This presentation will examine how trafficking operations often infiltrate legitimate industries and how state resources can be employed to detect and disrupt them. The presenter will share strategies for identifying relevant state agencies responsible for both business oversight and the protection of vulnerable populations. Focus will include how Offices of the Attorney General—regardless of their specific authority—can lead collaborative efforts to hold traffickers accountable.

At the conclusion of this presentation the participants will be better able to:
– Identify state agencies and partners that engage with populations vulnerable to labor trafficking and industries at risk of exploitation
– Leverage the authority and convening power of the Office of the Attorney General to develop effective state-level responses to labor trafficking
– Collaborate with state partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute labor trafficking, including related financial crimes

This presentation was produced by AEquitas under Grant No. 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Evolving Strategies to Identify and Investigate Sex Trafficking

Traditional approaches to identifying and investigating sex trafficking have often relied on undercover operations targeting individuals engaged in commercial sex, with subsequent efforts to determine whether force, fraud, or coercion was involved. However, the field has increasingly recognized the need for alternative, victim-centered strategies that reduce harm and improve outcomes.

Over the past several years, AEquitas has convened Roundtables with law enforcement, prosecutors, legal and medical service providers, victim advocates, and individuals with lived experience. These discussions have focused on emerging trends, effective investigative strategies, and promising practices that increase victim identification, enhance offender accountability, and reduce the risk of re-traumatization or criminalization of trafficking survivors.

This presentation draws from those Roundtable conversations and highlights practical, proactive strategies that do not rely on undercover operations that target potential victims. It also incorporates insights from individuals with lived experience—both those who were impacted by such operations and those who have worked alongside law enforcement to improve undercover tactics when used in a targeted, trauma-informed manner.

At the end of this presentation, participants will be better able to:
– Identify proactive approaches to identify and investigate sex trafficking that do not involve undercover operations
– Improve victim disclosures by prioritizing their safety, autonomy, and privacy
– Collaborate to design undercover operations that are trauma and survivor-informed

This presentation was produced by AEquitas under Grant No. 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Understanding the Supreme Court’s Decision in Smith v. Arizona and its Application to Forensic Expert Testimony

The Supreme Court’s decision in Smith v. Arizona has had a major impact on subsequent litigation involving the testimony of forensic and laboratory-based experts. This resource, created in conjunction with the RTI International, helps prosecutors better understand the holding issued by the Supreme Court, and breaks down strategies for ensuring successful prosecutions of cold case sexual violence in the wake of that decision.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Human Trafficking Wiretap Checklist

A wiretap may allow investigators to obtain critical evidence of criminal wrongdoing without making the target of their investigation aware that they are being listened to. In human trafficking investigations, this may allow officers to identify additional victims or criminal conspirators, and to obtain evidence when all other investigative leads have been exhausted. This tool provides an overview of the legal requirements associated with obtaining a wiretap to investigate human trafficking.

This resource was produced by AEquitas under 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.Human Trafficking Wiretap Checklist

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A Medical Response to Human Trafficking

Medical responses to sex and labor trafficking can enhance identification, improve investigations and prosecutions, and provide victims with necessary medical care and education. This annotated list contains resources that can be used to improve your jurisdiction’s medical response to human trafficking.

This resource was produced by AEquitas under 15POVC-21-GK-03263-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.A Medical Response to Human Trafficking