The Criminal Justice System's Problematic Response To The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children
Date of Award
8-2020
Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
MA in Child Development
Abstract
There is a current problem with the way that the American criminal justice system is responding to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation of children, or CSEC. In this thesis, I will first acknowledge that this oppressive, abusive, and tragic reality cannot be fully examined in this one piece of writing and offer two areas of further exploration which are limited in this piece: international CSEC and the victimization of boys and transgender youth. I will then explore the development of CSEC on American soil, from how youth become coerced into “the life”, what physical and psychological tactics exploiters use, and the long-term effects that are most notable and studied. By using literature review and personal narratives of people I have met in my professional work, the thesis will progress into an overview of how the American criminal justice system is responding to CSEC and its victims, and why it is overwhelmingly a broken system that is more punitive than restorative and healing. Finally, several suggestions will be offered in terms of how to empower victims of CSEC, as opposed to further silencing their voices, as this would be the most valuable tool in changing the system for future generations.
Recommended Citation
Levitskaya, Alexandra, "The Criminal Justice System's Problematic Response To The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children" (2020). Child Development Theses. 40.
https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/child_development_etd/40