On February 23, 2017, Daederick Lacy, of Wichita, Kansas, was convicted of one count of sex trafficking of a child, one count of completed sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. (2017) The Memorandum and Order for United States of America V. Daederick Lacy 16-10009-EFM documents that in the winter of 2015, Lacy separately contacted two minor girls via Facebook regarding their adopting a “glamorous” travel lifestyle. and party. When they met, Lacy invited each girl to “meetings” with clients at motels and paid them for their services. At one point, Lacy took the cell phone and car keys of one of the victims and drove her to a meeting with a client where he forced her to perform sex acts for money. After one victim contacted local police about Lacy, he took another underage victim to Texas in order to keep a low profile and make more money from his services. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay On May 11, 2017, Lacy was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for his human trafficking offenses. Currently, Lacy is serving his sentence in a United States penitentiary in Kentucky, with his release date scheduled for 2037. (2017) Living in Wichita, Kansas, Citizens are no strangers to human trafficking cases. Being in the middle of the country has advantages for traffickers; large cities with several interstate highways and colleges. With the rise of social media, it is easier for traffickers to access young women and promise them nice things in exchange for a little “work.” In October 2017, John H. Dickerson, of Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced to 187 months in prison. Federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of illegal possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. Dickerson prostituted a 17-year-old girl whom he took to a motel to meet an undercover Wichita police detective before they were both taken into custody. (White, 2017)In April 2018, Roderick Martin, of Wichita, Kansas, was sentenced to 18 years in state prison after pleading guilty to two counts of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of kidnapping and four counts of sexual exploitation of children. a child and one count of aggravated indecency with a child. In 2015, Martin and another accomplice arrested two runaway girls, aged 15 and 16, then sexually assaulted them and put makeup on them. (Tidd, 2017) We often hear about these cases in our communities, follow the trials through to sentencing, and then they are usually forgotten. We know what happens to bad guys: they go to prison and serve their time; but what happens to the victims? What happens to victims who are caught in trafficking schemes and cases? Many victims would be able to reunite with their families and live a full, meaningful life, while others will not be so lucky. Many of these victims come from already broken families, absent parents and poverty. Dr. Michael Palmiotto states in his book Combating Human Trafficking that victims of human trafficking often suffer from anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. Dealing with these debilitating disorders can really affect everyday life and make even the simplest tasks impossible. (Palmiotto, 2015) Victims often isolate themselves,act out, break away from or avoid family or friends who try to be there for them, and sometimes return to the streets and the lifestyle that traumatized them in the first place. Those who return to this lifestyle willingly or by force often end up as delinquents in the system. In 2004, 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown shot and killed her pimp-rapist, Johnny Allen. Brown was tried as an adult in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison. While the prosecution claimed that Brown was a cold-blooded killer who planned the robbery and murder of Johnny Allen, the Defense argued that Brown was a 16-year-old child who had been prostituted, drugged and raped by different men in the days preceding the incident. Brown was reportedly a model inmate, earned a college degree, and is currently under appeal in a clemency hearing. (Allen, 2018)More commonly than murder, trafficking victims are often arrested in the criminal justice system for charges such as drug and paraphernalia charges, as well as prostitution/solicitation. Tia Brungardt is a parole officer with the Kansas Department of Corrections who supervises an all-female offender group who has entered the community for parole supervision. Brungardt says many female offenders have been victimized in the past, whether from childhood trauma or situations such as human trafficking; many of his offenders have a history of prostitution, as it was a way for them to get by in life at some point, whether by choice or not. When asked how many offenders she currently has with trafficking histories, Officer Brungardt said that of her current 60 offenders, only 5 to 6 of them have disclosed trafficking histories, although she estimates that this number is probably closer to 15 to 20 offenders out of 60. Officer Brungardt added that very rarely, if ever, does anyone volunteer this information; it is usually only discovered during evaluations and criminal history investigations. “This type of admission is often followed by the admission that they feel a sense of shame for being involved in this lifestyle, even if it is not a decision they made themselves,” Officer Brungardt said. Brungardt gave some examples of offenders from different backgrounds who brought similar charges and took different paths during their supervision. Offender A is a woman in her thirties who is currently convicted of possession (methamphetamines) and previous convictions, including criminal ones. Property damage and DUI. Offender A has two children who were placed in the foster care system while she was addicted to illegal substances. Offender A entered prostitution against her will as a teenager and ended up with a drug addiction that ultimately led to a prison sentence. Upon her release from prison this year, Offender A began inpatient treatment, where she successfully graduated and lived in the Raise My Head Foundation house which helped her stay sober, educate herself , to have confidence in herself and to get her children back. B is a woman in her 40s with a current conviction for possession (cocaine), with previous convictions including assault and battery on LEO, theft, possession of THC, DUI, counterfeiting, selling sex and zone of fight against sex trafficking. Offender B was introduced to prostitution in her twenties and ultimately made the decision to continue these behaviors to support herself and her career.those of his habits. Offender B has eight children, seven of whom were adopted by her parents, with the eighth recently taken into the care of the Department of Children and Families. Offender B has no contact with her parents or any of her children, and she used illegal substances while she was pregnant with most of her children. Due to her drug habits, Offender B lacks the support of her family and continues to rely on drugs and inappropriate relationships for support. Offender B continued to use illegal substances, absconded, and had her supervision revoked several times over the past year. It continues to deny drug treatment and resources to women victims of prostitution and trafficking. Offender C is a woman in her 20s who is currently convicted of manslaughter and robbery, as well as previous convictions including selling sex and several traffic offences. Offender C stated that the father of her children regularly beat and supported her. One normal night after finishing a "job" with John, her boyfriend entered the room to steal from John and ended up killing him. Offender C was convicted of manslaughter and robbery after the prosecution argued she knew about the robbery; she maintained that she didn't know what her boyfriend was going to do. Offender C lives with her parents and two children. She occasionally uses THC, but has never had a problem with other illegal substances. Offender C is in substance abuse treatment and regularly sees a Department of Children and Families case manager in an effort to keep her children in her life. Officer Brungardt spoke about the obstacles faced by offenders in this group. They often have little or no legitimate work experience, they feel shame, they have extremely difficult time finding and maintaining healthy relationships, and the biggest obstacle is that they have damaged their self-esteem and low self-esteem. “You can do horrible things if you don't believe in yourself,” Officer Brungardt said. Officer Brungardt further explained how establishing and maintaining healthy relationships is critical to their success: “If they don't have a good support system, they're less likely to be successful . When you have no self-esteem and most of the people around you these days are only there to use you, you will struggle to do the right thing and find what is good for you. Having supportive family and friends makes all the difference when you are vulnerable. » Officer Brungardt said that depending on how they were introduced to the world of prostitution will also determine how successful they may or may not be upon release from prison: “In my own experience, I have found that if at some point they choose to become prostitutes, they are more likely to return to that lifestyle to get the things they want or need. » Officer Brungardt spoke about the differences between Offender A and Offender C. In Offender A's case, she was forced into a lifestyle of prostitution, so when she made the decision to stop, she stayed. In the case of Offender B, while initially she was forced into prostitution, later in life she chose to return because it helped her get the money she needed , so she still has difficulty getting in and out of this lifestyle. “Offender A made the decision to put an end to her way of,.