Human and Labor Trafficking in the U.S.

• NCJ Number: 248481
• Author(s): Colleen Owens; Justin Breaux; Isela Banuelos
• Date Published: October 2014
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-IJ-CX-0026
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Understanding the Organization, Operation and Victimization of Labor Trafficking in the United States

Annotation

This audio/podcast details a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsored study that comprehensively analyzed labor trafficking in the United States.

Abstract

This NIJ-sponsored Urban Institute-Northeastern University study, the first of its kind, comprehensively analyzed the state of labor trafficking in the United States. Researchers investigated 122 closed labor trafficking cases that took place across a wide array of industries, in four different regions. Through extensive analysis of legal records and subsequent interviews with 28 survivors of labor trafficking, this research yields detailed insights about this crime's continuum of recruitment and entrapment, transportation and movement, document falsification and acquisition, and escapes and cries for help. In addition to research findings, this feature shares the survivors' experiences through a composite character named Joseph. The identities of the interviewed survivors must be protected for the safety of themselves and their families, but their stories are very real. By learning more about the mechanics of this crime, law enforcement, the judicial system, and policymakers can better fight these pervasive offenses that too often go unrecognized or ignored.