NCJ Number
245366
Date Published
November 2013
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined Illinois arrest trends by year and region in gauging the level of State law enforcement response to human trafficking and related prostitution crimes under relevant State law for the period 2000-2011.
Abstract
Illinois enacted the Trafficking of Persons and Involuntary Servitude Act in 2006, which outlines penalties for the offenses of involuntary servitude, involuntary servitude of a minor, and trafficking in persons for forced labor or services. Illinois' Predator Accountability Act, which went into effect in 2007, allows trafficking victims to file a civil suit against anyone who recruited them or profited from their activities. The First Offender Felony Prostitution Act of 2007 allows adults being charged with felony prostitution to be placed on probation if they had not prior felony prostitution charges. Ten females and 23 males have been arrested under the Trafficking of Persons and Involuntary Servitude Act since its passing in 2006. The average age of offenders was 31. Of the four regions of the State, Cook County (excluding Chicago) had the highest percentage of arrests (45 percent) in Illinois from 2006 to 2011, followed by Chicago at 42 percent (n=14). The number of trafficking-related arrests increased from no arrests in 2007 to 15 arrests reported in 2011. Regarding prostitution-related arrests, although they are not necessarily related to trafficking, they involve trafficking if a prostitute is compelled through force, fraud, or coercion by a third party, typically referred to a pimp or trafficker. Such victims do not typically disclose this information to police or identify themselves as trafficking victims. Research has shown that trafficking victims tend to distrust police and often protect their traffickers either out of love or fear. In 2011, 1,871 arrests for prostitution were reported in Illinois. The average offender age was 33. 6 figures, 2 tables, and 3 references