Cathy Reisenwitz: New York's Trafficking Court Turns Sex Workers Into Victims

Dark Sevier

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, New York state's highest-ranking judge announced a first-of-its-kind initiative. In an effort to combat human trafficking and stop criminal courts from punishing victims of trafficking, New York will no longer treat sex workers as criminals. Instead of prison time, a special court will provide victims with social services, such as medical treatment and job training. As Cathy Reisenwitz points out, because the policy fails to distinguish between voluntary prostition and forced sex slavery, it will create more problems than it solves.