Background:
In 2011, Minnesota became the fifth state in the country to approve Safe Harbor legislation to combat the sexual exploitation of youth. Safe Harbor recognizes that sexually exploited youth must be treated as victims and survivors in need of services rather than juvenile delinquents under the law. The law also directs departments of public safety, health, and human services to develop a comprehensive, victim-centered model to carry out provisions of the law. This model, Minnesota No Wrong Door, was released in January of 2013.
Under Safe Harbor legislation, local governments bear the legal responsibility of bringing traffickers to justice and helping victims recover and heal. In 2014, Hennepin County created the No Wrong Door Response Plan to aid in fulfilling its commitment to ending the sexual exploitation of youth.
Since the implementation of this countywide plan, programmatic gaps have been identified that inhibit the ability of Hennepin County to have the greatest impact in the reduction and elimination of the sexual exploitation of youth.
To bridge the identified gaps, No Wrong Door is requesting one attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to focus on the prosecution of sex buyers and traffickers along with one investigator (crime analyst) and two sworn detectives in the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. This team will be dedicated to proactively investigate and prosecute sex trafficking crimes, work to assist victims by providing appropriate referrals for services to aid in their healing and recovery, and to work closely with local law enforcement partners to support investigations and curb the demand for the sexual exploitation of youth.
Some of the outcomes that will be tracked are as follows:
- Number of tips received
- Number of cases investigated and prosecuted, including:
o Statute used
o Offense level
o Previous sex trafficking arrests and convictions
o Case result
o Number of victims
o Age of victims
- Number of cases declined for prosecution and justification
- Number of youth referred to Hennepin County Child Protection
- Recidivism rate of offenders measured at 6 and 12 month intervals
This approach will allow Hennepin County to actively discover cases of exploitation, seek to assist victims, and arrest traffickers and buyers.