Writing it Right: Documenting Human Trafficking

Writing it Right: Documenting Human Trafficking
Presented by: Jane Anderson, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas and Joseph Scaramucci, Detective, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office
Thursday, October 28, 2021 from 2 PM ET to 3:30 PM ET

One specific responsibility of law enforcement and prosecutors working on human trafficking cases is to write various reports, affidavits, and briefs that effectively document incidents of sex and labor trafficking. It is crucial for these documents to accurately reflect complex trafficking dynamics and case-specific facts to establish probable cause and effectively litigate issues at trial. When law enforcement and prosecutors collaborate with others, including those with lived experience, they are better equipped to successfully articulate how traffickers use a variety of overt and subtle tactics to exploit victims—thus establishing the element(s) of force, fraud, and/or coercion necessary for cases involving adult victims.

This presentation will focus on the core competencies needed by law enforcement and prosecutors to establish the elements of human trafficking. Additionally, facilitators will discuss the necessity of protecting victim privacy and ensuring that public records and press releases accurately describe trafficking dynamics. In combination with other messaging done by Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Forces to Combat Human Trafficking, this documentation can held educate the public—and potential jurors—about the realities of trafficking.