Member Submission: SB 540 Human Trafficking
The following is a letter sent to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice (404 S. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100) by a member. She graciously shared the letter with us and gave us permission to share it with members.
Feb 21, 2019
Dear Committee Members,
I watched the committee meeting on the SB 540 Human Trafficking Bill and noted supporter, Chase Daniels, speaking on the study funded by Hunt Alternatives Fund (18:00 minutes into the session.) In quoting the study, he stated the participants were asked:
“What would stop you from buying sex? The most effective means to deter these individuals from buying sex, 89% said that being added to some sort of registry would deter them. This was higher than a letter to your family, posted on a billboard and it shows this registry and the other components Mrs. Book’s bill have is the best most negative deterrent to end the surge of human trafficking where Florida is unfortunately third in the nation.”
This summary, as stated by Mr. Daniels is not true. I strongly oppose this bill and and wish to correct his skewed comments. The study actually stated:
“Our foundation, Hunt Alternatives Fund, recently funded a study on the commercial sex industry in Boston. We interviewed more than 200 men – both buyers and non-buyers – on their attitudes about prostitution.
“An astounding 88 percent of Boston buyers say they’d be deterred by knowing that notification would be sent to a family member if they were arrested. (In Sweden, where street prostitution is down stunningly, a letter ordering the buyer to appear in court is sent to the man, but at his home address.) A majority of buyers say higher fines would dissuade them. Other deterrents include: being put on a sex offender registry; having their pictures or names in the local newspaper, on a billboard, or on the Internet (although these public measures are disastrous to their innocent wives and children); having a driver’s license suspended or car impounded. In San Francisco, arrests and a first-offender education program have reduced recidivism by more than 40 percent, according to a Justice Department study.”
If there is a registry and it is made public (which is safe to assume as it’s only deterrent benefit is to make it public so as to weigh heavily on shame and perpetual punishment), it will be another costly and bloated burden for tax payers, and if it falls in line with the current sex offender registry, will offer no appreciable benefit in return. This bill is named “Human Trafficking” and due to it’s title, will give the general public a false impression that anyone on the associated registry had intent to victimize and “traffic” innocent people.
In your committee meeting yesterday, you heard from a “sex professional” who stated she was never trafficked or victimized, and continued in the profession as a matter of personal choice! Not all who engage in these acts are victims!, but everyone on this registry will be painted as predators! Such a list will hinder and impact all aspects of their lives, including the ability to obtain responsible employment. As we have seen with registries in the past, the inability to gain employment will expand the need for individuals and families to rely on state programs for support. Additionally, as we have seen with the sex registry, children of those on this new list of shame, will almost certainly be singled out and targeted by social stigmatism.
“Family members living with an RSO were more likely to experience threats and harassment by neighbors. Children of RSOs reportedly experienced adverse consequences including stigmatization and differential treatment by teachers and classmates. More than half had experienced ridicule, teasing, depression, anxiety, fear, or anger. Unintended consequences can impact family members’”
— http://texasvoices.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/AW_levenson_family_impact_study.pdf
Florida Statute 796.07 already incorporates some of the deterrent factors suggested in the quoted study, such as higher fines, car impoundment, jail time and educational programs that inform participants on the negative effects of prostitution and sex trafficking, without incurring additional tax dollars for “new” and “additional” programs without any real determined benefit.
I also request this committee carefully ponder the collateral damage to families and children before placing someone on a new registry. Simply implementing an educational program alone shows a 40% reduction in recidivism and would be a much smarter approach than perpetually destroying more families and lives.
If we really think this is an increasing problem or that we are being ineffective, I propose a study to confirm the factual validity and causes, look at the true recidivism rates of prostitution offenses in Florida under our current programs, and realistically and honestly evaluate the cost-effectiveness of alternatives. We may also wish to reach out to NCMEC for additional support and valuation inasmuch as they receive $66 Million dollars a year in federal funding to educate Law Enforcement agencies, including the FBI, private corporations and individuals, on effective strategies for prevention of sex trafficking.
More importantly, with the tide of criminal justice reform in favor of rehabilitation and redemption, the constitutional questions and increasing litigations now arising regarding lifelong registries, and the mounting scientific evidence indicating registries are not only expensive to maintain, but ineffective in their approach, I petition the committee that if they remain bent on invoking a new “shame list”, they do so only after a second conviction, giving citizens a greater opportunity for remediation in their behavior through counseling and education.
Sincerely,
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The problem is not that they are not aware of this reality. The real problem is that there are too many individuals working in the system who have little to no integrity. It does not matter how logical or real your points are. They don’t want to hear it because it goes against their real goals. This is not about protection for anyone. That is just their cover up, to get away with what they want.
If they were really working towards stopping human trafficking, they would come up with laws that target human traffickers and accountability for those working in the system who help protect them (for money purposes). Why are these “human (sex) traffickers” never caught? Why is law enforcement targeting individuals who have nothing to do with human trafficking? They know this is a reality, yet theybrecklessly disregard, continuing to use “human trafficking” as their excuse. Where are the victims that are being rescued by this? Where are the human traffickers that are being caught and held accountable for the horrific things they are doing to human beings? Why don’t we ever hear anything about that? There is something really off about all this. Major red flags!!
It is so easy for people working in the system to get away with dishonesty and manipulation to get what they want (for the wrong reasons). There is no accountability on them. This is what everybody needs to start paying attention to. There are major red flags there. There must be something that it is being covered up. Pay attention!
Isn’t lying to the legislature a criminal offense? Misrepresenting our altering a study’s finding for your benefit is lying. Why aren’t these people prosecuted. It may stem the practice of manipulating the legislature if the were some personal responsibility attached.
Lying is the norm for many people, and unfortunately we have many working in the system, who think this normal. They think it’s what everybody does, and the only thing that matters to them is being at good getting away with it. It’s all a game to them. They don’t care about doing the right things for the right reasons.
There need to be laws that put accountability on the people working in the system who use manipulation and dishonesty to get what they want for the wrong reasons. They need to be held accountable for using the system to abuse others for self serving purposes. That is what the real problem here is. As long, as that continues to be ignored, this will never change.
Lying to the legislature is legal except when testifying under oath.
What I want to know is in a “home of the free country” what on earth business is it to anyone how a man or a women spends their money?STOP REGULATING what grown consenting adults do period!!! WHY on earth are Americans allowing themselves to be treated like children unable to decide whom to sleep with??REALLY? Do you need government to give you sexual permission of whom and how you are allowed to have sex and date?
If you go on a date and “wine and dine” a person of the opposite sex, maybe buy them gifts and take them dancing or to the movies this can be expensive and cost lots of money. This also is for the purpose of at some point in time having sex with this person if all goes correctly…
So should you also be on a registry?
Thank you for sharing and thank you to the letter writer.
If only they will read it, believe it and act accordingly and not be unduly influenced by the Books.
I certainly hope this well written letter is going to be read by all committee members. Mrs Books miss guided attempts at creating more registries hopefully will fail. I guess she dosent care about the children she hurts who are bullied and targeted by other kids at school and in the neighborhood. Speaking from expierence here.
“Not Steve”- Of course she doesn’t care. How much more obvious can it be? She doesn’t care about protecting anyone. This has nothing to do with protecting anyone. That’s just the cover up for doing something so senseless. It’s a hope that people buy into it. Not sure exactly what the real reason(s) for doing this is/are, but it’s clear it’s some kind of cover up. Maybe the human traffickers are paying off law enforcement and government officials for their protection. 🤷🏻♀️ So, they have to create laws that make it look like they are targeting human trafficking, but instead just target innocent people, while they protect human traffickers and other actual dangerous predators. Why else would they be doing such stupid things? The hugest red flag is the reckless disregard for reality, the fact that they don’t even consider how their laws are hurting others and, equally bad, not really protecting anyone. Why have laws that don’t work? Someone who doesn’t care about that is clearly someone who does not have the right intentions. If they are having to use dishonesty and manipulation to get what they want, that is a huge red flag!
Aracely – I may be telling you something you already know, but for those new to us, I’ll offer some insight. Lauren Book has a charity, “Lauren’s Kids”. Lauren’s Kids receives MILLIONS of dollars in funding from the State of Florida, has solicitation buckslips inside every tag renewal, billboards, buses and mailers. It’s one big marketing engine, all promoting… Lauren Book… who gets into office and promotes more fear and hysteria to benefit… Lauren Book.
As I write this, the State is debating cuts to medicaid benefits for children with autism and mental health needs. But Lauren’s kids will have guaranteed funding!
Why isn’t Lauren Book herself being investigated? This is an issue that “common sense” says it should be looked at heavenly.
A politician that campaigns for money for her own personal charity (that her father Ron Book sits on the board). Who is doing the oversight into how the money is being spent???
The public should be given transparency into any lawmaker’s finances that are given public funds. There could be more going on here than what her charity is actually used for.
Don’t forget those MILLIONS her foundation gets is out of the education budget. When the education budget was cut did her slush fund get cut? Nope I believe it was increased
Maybe it’s just narcissism on her part. It makes her feel important and powerful to manipulate people’s lives. Just a guess.