By Linda A Smith Samantha Healy Vardaman Melissa A Snow

54S h a r e d H o p e I n t e r n a t i o n a lOf particular note is the glaring disproportionately low level of arrest of the buyers of commercialsex — from minors or adults. Law enforcement interviewees proffered explanations related to theinherent difficulty in investigating prostitution of minors through traditional “decoy” techniques usedin prostitution stings. In other cases, the defendants’ reasonable mistake of age defense contained withinmany laws at the federal and state level deters law enforcement from charging buyers of sex from minorseven when they are identified recognizing the difficulty in proving the knowledge. However, anecdotalevidence suggests more strongly that most buyers are not arrested even when caught purchasing sex from aminor or actually engaging in a commercial sex act with a prostituted minor.Arrests of Victims vs. BuyersNumber Arrested6050403020100Utah Pinellas & Pasco Fort WorthSalt Lake City Clearwater Fort WorthCounties, FLCityLocationVictimsBuyersInnovative investigative techniques have been implemented in some locations assessed in effortsto identify the traffickers and buyers. Salt Lake City Police Department standardly subpoenas theminor’s cellular telephone records immediately upon arrest in an attempt to track her movementsand contacts. 149 The greatest success in identifying and prosecuting buyers has been through Internetenticement sting operations.DetentionIn nine of the 10 assessment sites, domestic minor sex trafficking victims had been placed in juveniledetention centers. A large number of these children are processed in the juvenile justice system asdelinquents due to lack of proper identification. However, even when a child is identified as a prostitutedyouth, detention is often viewed as the only safe and secure placement option, as DMST victims poseflight risks or have a violent pimp/trafficker. Additionally, Shared Hope International found that in allassessed locations, there is a dearth of appropriate services, programs, and shelters for DMST victims —all of which contributed to the high level of victim arrests.149Id. at pg. 3.