Building Trust: Perspectives on a Victim-Centered Approach to Human Trafficking Investigations in Los Angeles County

Summary

UC Berkeley researchers have released the first study of Los Angeles County’s novel anti-trafficking efforts — evaluating a model that could be replicated nationwide to improve investigations of human trafficking and provide support for victims. Researchers from the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law, in partnership with the International Human Rights Law Clinic, studied the first year of the Human Trafficking Bureau of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, a member of the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, which brings together investigators, service providers, and prosecutors to investigate — and stop — human trafficking. The study is the first comprehensive look at the Bureau, which was established in 2015.