Since 2003, state legislatures in the United States have been active in passing legislation aimed at combating human trafficking. To date, all states have passed laws that criminalize acts of human trafficking, though with significant variation in the penalty structure and associated legal provisions. This article examines what aspects of state human trafficking laws are most impactful at increasing the arrest and prosecution of human trafficking suspects. Using panel data on state laws and associated enforcement actions from 2003 to 2012, this study confirms that more comprehensive state laws that invest in antitrafficking resources are most strongly associated with human trafficking arrests and prosecutions. States that make legislative provisions for victim assistance, law enforcement training, statutory task forces, and mandatory reporting have higher antitrafficking criminal enforcement. The political environment in which state human trafficking laws are enacted also influences their enforcement.

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评估国家人口贩运立法对刑事司法制度成果的影响

自2003年以来，美国各州的立法机关一直积极通过旨在打击人口贩运的立法。迄今为止，所有州都通过了将贩运人口行为定为犯罪的法律，尽管其刑罚结构和相关法律规定有很大差异。本文探讨了国家人口贩运法的哪些方面在增加逮捕和起诉人口贩运嫌疑人方面最有效。使用有关2003年至2012年州法律和相关执法行动的面板数据，该研究证实，投资于打击人口贩运资源的更全面的州法律与人口贩运的逮捕和起诉最相关。为援助受害者，执法培训，法定工作队做出法律规定的国家，强制性举报的反贩运犯罪执法水平更高。制定国家人口贩运法的政治环境也影响其执行。