Criminal street gangs and domestic sex trafficking in the United States: evidence from Northern Virginia

The last decade witnessed increasing involvement of criminal street gangs in domestic sex trafficking in the United States. This paper analyzes business models and practices of gang-controlled sex trafficking in Northern Virginia, based on the cases available from PACER, an electronic public access...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Crime, law, and social change law, and social change, 2023-10, Vol.80 (3), p.307-328
Main Authors: Krylova, Yulia, Shelley, Louise
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business models
Courts
Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Financial systems
Gangs
Homeless people
Human trafficking
Internet
Law and Criminolgy
Law enforcement
Loyalty
New technology
Political Science
Public access
Social media
Social networks
Social Sciences
Street gangs
Technology
Trade
Trafficking
Transnationalism
Violent crime
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Summary:The last decade witnessed increasing involvement of criminal street gangs in domestic sex trafficking in the United States. This paper analyzes business models and practices of gang-controlled sex trafficking in Northern Virginia, based on the cases available from PACER, an electronic public access service of the United States federal court. This analysis shows that business models of gang-controlled sex trafficking have become more sophisticated, taking advantages of the globalized financial system, new technology, social media, and the increasing prevalence of illicit commerce in a digital world with greater connectivity. Gangs’ flexible structures combined with loyalty enforced among their members have shielded them from much law enforcement action. The analysis of different gangs involved in sex trafficking in Northern Virginia provides new insights into anti-trafficking policies and law enforcement responses tailored to their structures and modi operandi.
ISSN:0925-4994
1573-0751
DOI:10.1007/s10611-023-10088-9