(The Center Square) – With 64.47% of the votes at 99% of precincts reporting, Arizona has passed Prop. 313, establishing a lifetime sentence without parole for those convicted of sex trafficking a minor.
Currently, a defendant guilty of sex trafficking a minor 15-years-old or older can receive a minimum of 10 years and 13 years for sex trafficking a minor younger than 15.
Arizona law defines child sex trafficking as “using a minor for the purposes of prostitution, or causing a minor to be used in prostitution, including transporting, recruiting, or providing for a minor to engage in prostitution or any sexually explicit performance.”
Arizona’s sheriffs have spoken out in support of this proposition, citing their experience recovering children from sex trafficking situations.
“It’s heartbreaking when our deputies come in contact with minors who have been sex trafficked – these innocent children forced to do such inhumane acts,” reads a statement from David Rhodes, Yavapai County sheriff and president of the Arizona Sheriff Association. “Currently, when caught, the people who traffic these children face prison sentences that do not match the crime. Arizona isn’t just a thruway for sex trafficking to other parts of the country. We face our own problems. And it is most common to find children between 11 and 14 years old victimized – both by traffickers and rapists. In 2021 alone, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 650 tips from Arizona that led to finding 337 victims. Arizona voters can send a clear and convincing message to the people who engage in such heinous acts: Get caught and spend the rest of your life behind barbed wire in a state prison.”
According to a report conducted by a statewide medical and behavioral health insurance provider for minors in the care of the state looking at child sex trafficking in Arizona, between 2021 and 2023, victims were located in 11 out of the 15 counties in Arizona, the majority being female and having a past of sexual assault and substance abuse.
“In conclusion, the identification of 309 victims during this period serves as a stark reminder that our collective efforts, though commendable, require continual growth and refinement,” reads the report. “Arizona’s children deserve not just reactive support but a proactive and robust preventive framework. Sustaining momentum in awareness, training, and support systems will be pivotal in ensuring a more resilient and responsive approach to the multifaceted challenges of child sex trafficking.”
Although not many, some groups did file statements against Prop. 313. One argument being that this could criminalize victims of sex trafficking that have been coerced into being complicit in the crime by their abusers.
“The League argues against mandatory minimum sentencing, advocating for judges to have discretion to consider individual circumstances such as role in the offense, mental health, remorse, addiction, and background,” reads a statement from Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Women Voters in Arizona. “In cases such as child sex trafficking, victims of sex trafficking are often charged with trafficking offenses due to coercion by their abusers. We cannot codify a law that would subject victims to mandatory minimum sentences.”
Other propositions that passed last week include Prop. 139, Prop. 311, Prop. 312 and Prop. 314.
