Navigating Force and Choice

 The National Institute of Justice funded a study of the experiences of  sex workers in New York City.  New York City created a Human Trafficking Court and the participants had involvement with the court system, and the Human Trafficking Court in particular.  Navigating Force and Choice: Experiences in the New York City Sex Trade and the Criminal Justice System Response was recently published and contains the research findings. 

 The population of interviewed sex workers was varied and impressive, including cis men and women, trans women and those identifying as other.  The study explored four aspects of the sex workers' lives:  personal histories, involvement in the sex trade, involvement with trafficking and criminal justice involvement. The sex workers revealed important and difficult information, including difficult child hood trauma and police violence.  Defense attorneys and others involved with the court system were also interviewed and contributed toward assessment and recommendations. The report may be found here.