Control and Protect

Control and Protect explores the meaning and significance of efforts designed to combat sex trafficking in the United States. A striking case study of the new ways in which law enforcement agents, social service providers, and nongovernmental advocates have joined forces in this campaign, this book reveals how these collaborations consolidate state power and carceral control. This book examines how partnerships forged in the name of fighting domestic sex trafficking have blurred the boundaries between punishment and protection, victim and offender, and state and nonstate authority.
 

“Jennifer Musto’s work provides much needed on-the-ground critical perspective on the ideologies, methods, and effects of domestic U.S. anti-trafficking efforts.  Her fascinating tour into the experiences of the criminalized victim-rescuees and the protective rescuer-incarcerators reveals the inherent inconsistencies and pitfalls of the coming together of U.S. criminalization methodologies and the complexities of sex trading and trafficking in the United States.  A must-read for those seeking holistic understanding of the nature and impact of U.S. antitrafficking efforts.”—Karen E. Bravo, Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

"Jennifer Musto provides critical insight into the wide-ranging social implications of the legal definition of human trafficking in the United States. Based on extensive qualitative research, Control and Protect explores the contradictions inherent in defining and dealing with domestic sex trafficking in the U.S. justice system. Examining anti-sex trafficking initiatives both on the streets and online, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of responses to combatting human trafficking in the United States."—Kerry Ward, Associate Professor, Rice University