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Using Experts in Human Trafficking Cases

Expert witness testimony can be an effective way to educate a judge and jury about a variety of topics connected to sex and labor trafficking. Federal and state courts have repeatedly confirmed that expert testimony is appropriate in human trafficking cases where it aids the fact finder in understanding the evidence or determining an issue in question. This tool provides an overview of what kinds of expert testimony might be useful in helping a jury understand the testimony that they might hear in a human trafficking case.

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.Using Experts in Human Trafficking Cases

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Preventing Human Trafficking in the Criminal Justice System

Traffickers identify and exploit individuals who are vulnerable and who are accessible to them; in particular, the criminal justice system (CJS) can create and exacerbate vulnerabilities for those with criminal charges, leaving them open to exploitation by human traffickers. In addition, victims’ involvement in the CJS is often due to other vulnerabilities. This tool was crafted to help prosecutors build collaborative relationships with their partners in the CJS to identify victims of human trafficking who have been charged with criminal 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.Preventing Human Trafficking in the Criminal Justice System

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Forfeiture by Wrongdoing in Human Trafficking Cases

Forfeiture by wrongdoing is a powerful rule in equity available to prosecutors to combat witness intimidation. This tool provides an overview of how prosecutors can use this doctrine to present the testimony of a witness in a human trafficking case when that witnesses absence is due to the actions of the defendant in that case.

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.Forfeiture by Wrongdoing in Human Trafficking Cases

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Utilizing Eavesdropping Warrants to Successfully Investigate and Prosecute Sex Traffickers

Criminal justice professionals face a variety of challenges when investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases. One of the most difficult of these challenges to overcome is building cases that allow prosecutors to hold offenders accountable when victims are justifiably too scared or traumatized to participate in an investigation and prosecution. Law enforcement officers should therefore strive to build cases that stand on their own, with or without victim testimony.

Whether a victim testifies or not, live and surreptitious interception of offender communications is a way for officers to continue to work a case and collect evidence to build a strong prosecution. When victims do testify, evidence obtained from a wiretap can be crucial to support their credibility before a jury, and in the event that a prosecutor is presenting a case without a participating victim, such evidence may be able to fill in the gaps to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

A wiretap may produce key evidence of a target’s role in an organized trafficking scheme or of the guilt of an actor working alone. They may provide crucial out-of-court statements that can help prosecutors convict a trafficker. Wiretaps may also identify other crimes the trafficker is committing, enabling prosecutors to hold offenders accountable for the full range of their criminal conduct or allowing alternative charges when trafficking offenses are unable to be pursued without victim testimony. This article provides law enforcement officers and prosecutors with an introductory and practical overview of obtaining eavesdropping warrants and utilizing the resulting evidence. Utilizing Eavesdropping Warrants to Successfully Investigate and Prosecute Sex Traffickers

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The Empathy Tightrope: Balancing Trauma-Informed Responses and Prosecutor Resilience

The prosecution of human trafficking requires prosecutors who are highly skilled, have a deep understanding of complex dynamics, and are dedicated to working with victims and survivors who have undergone severe trauma. Prosecutors handling sex and labor trafficking cases are faced with high volumes of complex evidence that is often graphic, violent, or disturbing in nature. Trauma-informed approaches require prosecutors to lead with empathy, while being watchful that secondary trauma does not negatively impact job performance and personal well-being.

This presentation addresses wellness as a critical aspect of any response to human trafficking, with a specific focus on prosecutors who lead trauma-informed responses to sex and labor trafficking cases. The presenter provides strategies to identify early signs of burnout and secondary trauma and facilitates interactive discussions around healthy coping mechanisms and proactive stress management. Such skills are crucial not only for personal well-being, but also for sustaining prosecutors’ ability to seek justice for trafficking victims and hold offenders accountable.

By the end of the presentation, participants will be better able to:
-Proactively address secondary-trauma to ensure effective responses to victims of human trafficking
-Lead trauma-informed approaches to investigating and prosecuting sex and labor trafficking
-Collaborate to prioritize wellness and minimize burnout amongst multi-disciplinary partners

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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Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims

Written by prosecutors for prosecutors, this guide reflects decades of insight and experience prosecuting sexual violence and domestic violence of more than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors as well as advocates, academics, and investigators who have dedicated their careers to combatting sexual assault and domestic violence.DOJ SA-DV Prosecutor Guide may 2024

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Legal Jiu Jitsu: Combatting Witness Intimidation in Human Trafficking Cases

Human trafficking often morphs into witness intimidation once investigations and prosecutions are initiated. In collaboration with law enforcement and victim services, prosecutors can both support victim participation and identify evidence that can be used against traffickers to strengthen cases of sex and labor trafficking.

This presentation adheres to the core philosophy of jiu-jitsu which is to use the opponent’s force against themselves. When combating witness intimidation in tandem with human trafficking, prosecutors and law enforcement can take one of the most pervasive tools used by traffickers to quiet their victims to instead, bring the victim’s voice into court via forfeiture by wrongdoing. The presenter discusses strategies to protect victims and strategies to bring their voices into the courtroom when traffickers have relied on witness intimidation to prevent them from testifying.

At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be better able to:
-Support victim participation in sex and labor trafficking cases
-Minimize and respond to witness intimidation
-Litigate the admission of statements under forfeiture by wrongdoing

This presentation 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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Prosecution Foundations: Capturing the Full Extent of the Offender’s Criminality

The IACP and AEquitas, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, hosted a conversation between Jane Anderson, Senior Attorney Advisor with AEquitas and David Weiss, the Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit at Kings County (Brooklyn, New York) District Attorney’s Office. As a co-chair of Brooklyn’s Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Force, David has extensive experience collaborating on human trafficking responses, including working with law enforcement early in investigations and supervising complex prosecutions. Jane and David discussed how broadening human trafficking investigations can enhance prosecutions, decrease reliance on victim participation, and ensure support to victims is trauma-informed.

This presentation will enhance your ability to:
-Identify criminal activity and co-occurring charges common in human trafficking cases;
-Collaborate with law enforcement to enhance victim-centered investigations; and
-Litigate the admission of “other bad acts” in sex and labor trafficking cases

This webinar is part of IACP/OVC’s Enhanced Collaborative Model anti-human trafficking task force training catalog. The materials presented aim to help Enhanced Collaborative Model anti-human trafficking task forces seek justice on the behalf of human trafficking victims and survivors.

This webinar was produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police under Cooperative Agreement #2020-VT-BX-K002, 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 webinar 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 United States v. Rahimi

United States v. Rahimi became a widely followed case in the 2024 Supreme Court docket after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) issued its decision in United States v. Rahimi, 59 F.4th 163 (5th Cir. 2023). The Court ruled that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits gun possession by people who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders, is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. 

This decision reverberated across the country, and in the wake of the Fifth Circuit decision, the Supreme Court took a writ of Certiorari to resolve the conflict. Ultimately, on June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the Fifth Circuit and upheld the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). This Strategies in Brief newsletter unpacks the holding of the Supreme Court, and provides guidance to prosecutors moving forward on applying this ruling to their work. 

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GK-03987-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, Office on Violence Against Women.RahimiDecision_FINAL