Sometimes people who commit crimes are not criminals, but victims of a crime.
They can be victims of human trafficking—and the
legislature is moving to do something about their situation.
The state senate is toughening the laws on those who turn crime victims into
Criminals by forcing them into prostitution, to steal, or commit other crimes..A proposal that toughens the laws on human trafficking is on the verge of senate approval. Sponsor Jack Goodman of Mount Vernon says some people who are
caught in illicit criminal activity are not voluntary perpetrators of
crimes—but slaves. He says there are people in Missouri, and throughout the world, who’se futures “are being snuffed out so that disgusting people can become rich.,”
The bill provides that when someone who is a victim of sex trafficking is
found, the person gets appropriate help from state agencies. It also says those
who are forced to engage in illicit criminal activity will not be treated as
criminals—but as victims of a crime, too.
