The teen began to cry when the plane hit turbulence. He comforted his daughter—and aroused the suspicions of flight attendant Cheryl Thomas.
Like sex trafficking panic more broadly, the Epstein files are a useful political tool—as long as they remain hidden.
As the prosecution rests in the OneTaste case, the defense lays out the free speech implications if the government succeeds.
In Operation Fool Around and Find Out, 244 "human trafficking" arrests, but no human trafficking.
But the ruling suggests prostitution clients could be convicted of sex trafficking in other circumstances.
The government has been putting sexuality, sexual labor, and unorthodox ideas about sex on trial.
"That guy isn't being trafficked by anyone," says sociologist Emily Horowitz.
Democrats did the right thing, got attacked for it, then caved.
A go-to study for advocates of restricting sex work used a flawed economic model and abysmal data.
Abandoning the "sex slave" narrative exposes the hollowness at the center of cases like this.
Twelve states are considering harsher punishments for soliciting sex.
Journals allegedly written by the government's star witness in 2015 were not authentic, prosecutors now say.
Snakes. Magic. Orgasmic meditation. And a dubious federal case against the leaders of a supposed sex cult.
A(nother) look at how human trafficking panic gets made.
Five "traffickers" arrested for responding to an undercover cop's sex ad are challenging their convictions in the state's high court.
A Coca-Cola truck "full of kids" turned out to be a police charity.
Plus: Idaho's "abortion trafficking" law can mostly take effect; updates on state age verification suits; the threat the Florida and Texas social media laws pose to X
Lacey can await the resolution of his appeal outside of prison.
A Canadian Supreme Court case challenges the country's ban on benefiting financially from sex work.
This isn't a policy that corrects for injustice but one that increases it.
Polk County, Florida, continues to be one of the worst offenders for sham efforts to combat human trafficking.
Reason's new documentary is now streaming on the video platform CiVL. I hope you'll watch.
The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act would provide outreach and training to Homeland Security Investigations staff.
Warrantless surveillance, Comic Con "sex trafficking," and the persistence of trafficking myths
The group reportedly faked rescue stories—including one involving a baby saved from traffickers—and lied about where funds were going.
Prosecutors say the Buenos Aires Yoga School was a sex trafficking cult, but the alleged victims say this isn't true.
It's the war on drugs all over again, folks...
Employing an 18- to 20-year-old at an adult venue could mean 15 years in prison, even if the young person used a fake ID.
For sex workers and their clients, Super Bowl season can mean a higher chance of getting nabbed by cops.
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
"We're going to build a wall...I am not going to sit there and let sex trafficking go unabated," DeSantis said.
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
Plus: Backpage trial pushed back, Bidenomics doens't resonate, and more...
Horrible things are happening to vulnerable people, but we cannot help them by sending groups of vigilantes or law enforcement officers to hunt them.
Plus: Connecticut may exonerate witches, federal regulators are waging a quiet war on crypto, and more...
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
Plus: States move to stop cops from lying to kids, Biden wants to raise Medicare taxes, and more...
Plus: Everyone loves conspiracy theories, against national rent control, and more...
The 2018 law criminalizes websites that "promote or facilitate" prostitution. Two of three judges on the panel pushed back against government claims that this doesn't criminalize speech.
Plus: Chinese authorities contact protesters, smoking rates fall dramatically, and more…
City officials in Nederland, Texas, are kicking around the idea of limiting new massage parlors to industrial areas of town.
The case is now on appeal after a lower court said the ban on websites promoting prostitution didn't concern protected speech.
Plus: Criminal sentencing before the Supreme Court, TikTok pushes back against security threat claims, and more...
Plus: Book ban enthusiasm ensnares Bible, free speech for nutrition advice, and more...
Here's what's in the $1 billion reauthorization package.
