Criminal Record Relief

Trafficking survivors aren’t defined only by their exploitation — they play many more roles and carry more identities than survivor. One of the most common identities survivors also hold is mother. Survivors support their families, wanting to see their children thrive. Unfortunately, their ability to care for their children can run into systemic barriers resulting … Continued

Without consistent and clear state laws and federal legislation, criminal records remain one of the biggest obstacles that survivors face in rebuilding their lives after exploitation.

Helping survivors with criminal records avoid further exploitation is an ongoing policy priority for Polaris and the anti-trafficking sector.

Zephi Trevino’s upcoming trial in Texas shows that law enforcement and prosecutors are ignoring a victim’s trafficking experience and going ahead with criminal charges.

The voices of Black survivors have historically been left out of the anti trafficking movement. To tell the true story of human trafficking, we can no longer separate it from race.

The National Survivor Study used the experience and expertise from survivors to create a detailed picture of the arc of trafficking.

Polaris released a new report grading all 50 states and D.C. on their criminal record relief laws for human trafficking survivors. Since the first report in 2019, 17 states responded to the call for better statutes that are more inclusive and easier to access, while two states actually reversed their progress.

Keyana Marshall was just 15 when she was manipulated into selling sex by a female trafficker she originally went to work for as a babysitter. Throughout her teen years she was passed from one trafficker to another. Finally, law enforcement stepped in. But for Keyana, that only made things worse. She wound up serving nearly … Continued

There are many things the anti trafficking community does not agree on, and some very deep and very real divisions that make it hard to work together at times. We believe there are also real opportunities to work together toward things that will meaningfully improve people’s lives.

Georgia enacted a law that allows adult survivors to clear their criminal records of convictions that occurred because they were being trafficked. This is great news for countless human trafficking survivors, the vast majority of whom have some record of arrest or conviction as a direct result of their victimization.

For a comprehensive model law that can guide states in drafting legislation to combat human trafficking in the United States, please see the Uniform Law Commission’s Uniform Act on Human Trafficking.