The California Senate today gave final approval to SB 230, legislation by Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that will help prosecutors convict predators who traffic in sex slavery, sending the bill to the governor’s desk. The Senate’s vote came after the Assembly passed the bill on Tuesday.
SB 230 [2] adds the crime of sex trafficking to the list of exceptions to the rule prohibiting the introduction of character evidence during trial. The other exceptions to this rule include cases involving sexual offenses and cases of domestic violence, elder or dependent abuse and child abuse.
“During the past few years, the state Legislature has really stepped up its efforts to crack down on human trafficking and provide help to those who are victimized,” Atkins said. “SB 230 will give prosecutors another important tool to use in trial as they bring predators to justice.”
Due to the exploitative nature of the relationship between victims and their traffickers, sex trafficking can be difficult to prosecute. Sex traffickers often use tactics to psychologically control their victims. As a result, people victimized by sex trafficking often do not see themselves as victims – at least not initially. Many are also threatened with violence by their traffickers if they cooperate with the police. For these reasons, securing their testimony at trial can be difficult. SB 230 allows prosecutors, subject to a judge’s discretion, to use a sex trafficker’s prior activities to help prove their current ones.
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Links
[1] https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300
[2] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB230
[3] http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB462
[4] http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB587