This testimony examines various options for reining in unnecessary criminal laws that are properly the province of state governments: revising mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses, implementing evidence-based practices in community supervision, improving programming within federal prisons, and strengthening reentry.
Criminal Justice
Prosecute Traffickers, Not Victims
The central paradox of human trafficking is that victims, not traffickers, are most likely to face criminal charges. In fact, an individual is more likely to be struck by lightning than prosecuted for trafficking. Which begs the question, why? How Traffickers Turn Victims into Defendants To start, prosecutors and law enforcement act on the best available information...
September 1, 2026