Final Capstone Project
Sam Hunt
CRJ 422
Instructor Bob Carthio
February 20, 2016

Final Capstone Project In the 19th Century the United States government abolished slavery, but for many years now and even currently within our country we are facing a major crisis. This crisis is in the form of modern day slavery, which is also referred to as human trafficking. Human trafficking comes in several forms and it can in many ways be a hidden problem within our country that many people do not see on a day to day basis. Many people may not ever actually see the problem of human trafficking at all in their lifetime. Human trafficking has many different effects on its victims, but the most damaging effect caused by human trafficking is the psychological effects that can last a lifetime and can cause many future problems, such as being able to function properly and being able to trust others again after their terrible experience. Basically to be able to summarize the issue of human trafficking, we must first take a look at what exactly human trafficking is. Human trafficking is in its most basic form an aspect of modern day slavery as we would compare it to. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2000), human trafficking is, “Trafficking in persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation” (para. 1). The crime of human trafficking is very widespread throughout our country and this problem affects millions of men, women, and children across our great nation. Approximately twenty to thirty million people, including men, women, and children are being enslaved by this grave problem within our country. This number is only an estimate because the actually number of those being affected by human trafficking is not entirely known within our country (Allies Against Slavery, 2014). In the 19th Century our government abolished slavery with the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was known as the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave those who were enslaved there freedom and it abolished slavery formally within the United States. Human trafficking is a very heinous crime committed within our country. The victims of human trafficking experience a variable of many horrible things. These can include extremely long work days with little to no pay at all, they can experience provoked or unprovoked beatings, and maybe the worst of all is the forced sexual acts that these victims must endure. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2015), “In its worst manifestation, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. Victims pay to be illegally transported into the United States only to find themselves in the thrall of traffickers. They are forced into prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude to repay debts – often incurred during entry into the United States. In certain cases, the victims are mere children. They find themselves surrounded by an unfamiliar culture and language without identification documents, fearing for their lives and the lives of their families” (para. 1).
The things that the victims of human trafficking can experience may leave many long lasting effects on the mental and physical wellbeing of the victims of this terrible crime. Perhaps one of the worst effects that this crime has on its victims is mental and psychological effects that human trafficking can have on its victims. The mental and psychological effects can be different from one person to another. The psychological effects of human trafficking can be a different lasting effect from one victim to another because of the form or way they were exploited, the victim’s gender or age. It can also vary depending on the individual’s support that they receive after they are freed from human trafficking and how resilient they are or their ability to bounce back from this terrible experience. Proposing the resolution to the issue of human trafficking is much easier said than done. There are many agencies, both locally and federally, that work to combat against human trafficking. One of these agencies is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. The first and foremost resolution that is being proposed for human trafficking is primarily through everyone in the United States becoming involved and being aware of this major problem facing our country. Education is a powerful tool and being aware of your surroundings in your everyday life can make you aware to many issues within our country. If everyone in our country was more educated and aware the problem, then they could work together to help bring an end to human trafficking and to also help the prior victims receive the help they desperately need and deserve.
The second resolution is to bring an end to prostitution. Many victims of human trafficking are used as prostitutes and this can seem voluntary to many people. The real truth is that many of these individuals who are prostitutes are doing this against their will, whether they believe it or will admit to it or not. For example, in many cities prostitution is kind of overlooked and many police officers turn a blind eye to it because they are too busy or dealing with more “serious” issues to care about this problem. In Las Vegas, NV prostitution is “legal” in some areas and the police do nothing at all to stop or help the problem. Many of the offenders that force these victims to be prostitutes are behind the scenes and are hidden in plain sight. We must resolute to change the law and make it even stricter on those who partake in prostitution and get the victims the help they truly need.
The third resolution to the problem of human trafficking is secure our boards and having a better vetting process of those coming to our country. This will ensure that victims of human trafficking are not being transported across our borders. Many times the victims believe or are promised that they are going to have a much better life here in the United States, but they do not realize that they are coming to our country in invisible chains. If our borders were secured we could help catch the victims and offenders of human trafficking much more effectively and swiftly. There are many operations of the criminal justice system as it relates to the issue of human trafficking and that can aid in the resolution of human trafficking. The two primary types of human trafficking that are most common are forced labor or forced sexual acts. These two types can be one or the other or both in many cases for victims. Law enforcement within our country plays an important role when it comes to investigating the crimes of forced labor and forced sexual acts. The main problem is that too often these crimes go unreported by the victims due to one reason or another. We know that in our country we are reminded that sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes. When it comes to human trafficking many of the victims feel a connection of some sort to the offender and they are many times scared to report the offenses being committed. Law enforcement could intervene in the human trafficking problem by following up on many of the warning signs that are presented by victims of human trafficking. Sometimes the warning signs are not always clearly seen in plain view. If the victim is hidden so to speak from society, then often times it is hard for law enforcement to detect the crime that is being committed. The criminal and social justice theories in relation to the United States Constitution do affect the issue of human trafficking. According to United States Constitution it states in the 13th Amendment, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (Archives.gov, 2015). This Amendment was very important because it brought an end to slavery in our country and it freed millions of African-American slaves within the United States in 1865. This Amendment states that slavery cannot be involuntary, unless the reason is for punishment where a conviction took place. This one single Amendment is crucial to bringing an end to the issue of human trafficking within our country. The victims of human trafficking need to know that they are in fact being used as slaves and not as a free willed working individual. There are other laws that prohibit things, such as forced sexual acts. These are covered within state and federal laws. Rape is considered a federal crime and is prosecuted as a felony. In order for us to be able to bring an end to human trafficking we must first be able to educate everyone on the importance of human trafficking being modern day slavery and involuntary servitude. The social and criminal justice system is supposed to promote social equality and fairness for all and this does relate in a major way to human trafficking. Throughout our country we promote that “all men are created equal,” but we all need to start acting on this and looking out for a fellow American in our country. We can do this through social and criminal justice system. Our government helps to ensure that our rights as American citizens are not violated. We have many rights that many of us may take for granted. The most basic right of all is that we all have freedom. The sad truth is that some of us may not have this freedom due to being the victim of human trafficking.
Poverty plays a major role in human trafficking. Many victims of human trafficking find themselves in a financial bind and they are sometimes promised a better life or “greener grass” by their captors as we would relate to them. Many victims are stuck in such a low poverty state that they feel that their situation is hopeless in many cases and they cannot seem to be financially ready to break away from their current situation of being a victim to human trafficking. Racism does not play that major of a role anymore in human trafficking or modern day slavery within the United States as it used to many years ago when slavery was legal in our country. Sex or gender does play somewhat of a role in human trafficking. Men are usually drug into human trafficking as forced laborers, but many women and children are often used as forced laborers and sex slaves as well. The centralization of criminal justice agencies in the United States, The Patriot Act, and the U.S. Homeland Security Act do have aspects that affect the issue of human trafficking and its resolution. There are many agencies that work to combat against human trafficking. Among the federal agencies are U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and other agencies within the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security help to combat against human trafficking. Local and state law enforcement also help in the role of bringing an end to human trafficking as well.
The Patriot Act was brought about in 2001 soon after the terrorist attacks that took the lives of many Americans that occurred on September 11, 2001. The Patriot Act is important because it allows the U.S. government to be able to investigate threats to our national security and it change the way we investigate threats to national security (ABC Nightline News, 2003). The Patriot Act can be a good and bad thing all in one. It is a good thing in that it works to make our nation more secure, but it is a bad thing in that it limits how much the government can violate the privacy and individual rights of an individual. This is a negative thing when it comes to trying to find out if a person is a potential offender of human trafficking. The U.S. Homeland Security Act of the 21st Century was important because it created what we know now as the Department of Homeland Security (OLPA, 2002). The Department of Homeland Security could do more when it comes to the issue of human trafficking. The U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fall under the Department of Homeland Security and these agencies do almost everything they can within their power to help the battle against human trafficking. However, most of our border is left unsecured and this allows many victims of human trafficking to come into our country. If our border was more secured and monitored, then we would be able to possibly find some of the victims of human trafficking and help them. There are two careers in criminal justice for agencies that are or could be involved more in addressing the issue of human trafficking and to help bring its resolution to light. The first career would be that of the law enforcement officer. Victims of human trafficking sometimes may even walk among us and we may even pass them on the streets or in the store. Law enforcement needs to be made more aware of this. Law enforcement can help aid in the process of bringing offenders of human trafficking to justice by finding the victims and then being led to the offenders. The second career that could be used or created would be that of a social worker that acts as a specialized detective also for human trafficking. We have detectives that work in homicide, burglary, and for other serious crimes. We have social workers that work with families and children to ensure that they are protected. We should have a detective or social worker that is specialized for investigating human trafficking when it is suspected. Once victims of human trafficking come forward or are found they need to receive specialized care and attention. Too many times we tend to overlook the victims of crime and not ensure that they are receiving all the proper treatment that they need. Different victims require different types of treatment or amount of treatments. There are many devastating factors that can come from a victim of human trafficking. Among these are physical, mental, and psychological. There have been several studies conducted that have found that there is high levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD among women survivors of human trafficking (Abas, Ostrovschi, Prince, Gorceag, Trigub, & Oram, 2013). Victims of human trafficking need specialized help from a professional to help them deal with the mental and emotional distress they may have after their terrible experience is finally over with. Some victims may need more or less therapy and counseling than other victims. It always helps when a person is able to open up and finally talk about their experience. This may be able to happen right away or may take weeks, months or years depending on the victim and the circumstances. In conclusion, human trafficking comes in several different forms, and there is several things that we can all do to be able to help bring an end to human trafficking. Human trafficking has many different effects on its victims. The worst effect it can have on its victims is the psychological effects that can last a lifetime and cause many future problems. The resolution to human trafficking can be through education, ending prostitution, and through securing our borders. We must ensure that the victims of human trafficking are given the proper treatment that they need and try to alleviate some of psychological, mental and emotional distress that these victims deal with. The careers that can be used to deal with human trafficking can play a major role in the resolution of this social and criminal justice issue. The United States Constitution plays a major role in bringing an end to human trafficking, which is modern day slavery.

References
Abas, M., Ostrovschi, N., Prince, M., Gorceag, V., Trigub, C., & Oram, S. (2013). Risk factors for mental disorders in women survivors of human trafficking: A historical cohort study. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 1-11. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database.
ABC Nightline News (Producer). (2003). Patriot Act and the Fourth Amendment [Video file]. In The Patriot Act Under Fire. Retrieved from the Films On Demand database.
Archives.gov. (2015). Constitution of the United States: Amendments 11-27. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html
Allies Against Slavery. (2014). Around the world and around the corner slavery still exists. Retrieved from http://www.alliesagainstslavery.org/slavery/
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Hossain, M., Zimmerman, C., Abas, M., Light, M., & Watts, C. (2010). The relationship of trauma to mental disorders among trafficked and sexually exploited girls and women. American Journal Of Public Health, 100(12), 2442-2449. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2009.173229.
OLPA. (2002). Homeland Security Act of 2002. Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis. Retrieved from https://olpa.od.nih.gov/legislation/107/publiclaws/hmlndsecrty.asp
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2000). What is human trafficking? Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human trafficking.html#What_is_Human_Trafficking
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012, August 6). Labor trafficking fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/fact-sheet-labor- trafficking-english
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2015). Human Trafficking: A Global Problem. Retrieved from https://www.ice.gov/human-trafficking