Dr. Tim Hampton’s Post

Human Trafficking Defined Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 represents the first comprehensive federal law to combat human trafficking. Reauthorized 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2013. The purpose is prevention, protection, and prosecution. o  Sex Trafficking – o  Labor Trafficking – The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates 24.9 million people are trafficked globally. o  Victims of labor trafficking make up 64.3% (16 million) of trafficking victims. o  Victims of sex trafficking make up 19.3 % (4.8 million) o  Victims of state-imposed forced labor 16.4% (4.1 million) o  Females make up 57.6% of victimization – males 42.4% Obstacles to Prosecution of Trafficking Crimes  ·      Poor coordination between agencies of government ·      Inadequate distribution of resources, skills, and commitment to handle cases. Primary focus on sex trafficking compared to labor trafficking. 1. Analysis of 479 state human trafficking prosecutions (2003-2012) revealed that less than 10% of all suspects arrested for labor trafficking were charged with a state human trafficking offense. 2.  Poor prosecution – failure to demonstrate the presence of force, fraud, and coercion of crimes by prosecutors – likelihood of conviction is extremely low. 3.  Many state prosecutors are unfamiliar with state trafficking laws. 4.      Improved awareness by the public may help in prosecutions.   

Criminology and Rehabilitation Rehabilitation is considered one of the most important contributions of criminology and sociology research, and corrections, probation, and parole departments have pressed the courts for years to provide resources to help the criminal redirect their lives through counseling, drug and alcohol treatment, skill builders, employment services, and education. Rehabilitation accepts that criminal behavior, often, originates from dysfunctional social, psychological, genetic, and mental illness environments, which implies people may be changed with appropriate treatment. Research conducted by Listwan, Cullen & Latessa (2006) reveals that “using behavioral and cognitive approaches, occurring in the offenders’ natural environment, being multimodal and intensive enough to be effective, encompassing rewards for pro-social behavior, targeting high-risk and high-criminogenic need individuals, and matching the learning styles and abilities of the offender” (p. 20) prove to be effective means of rehabilitation. Cognitive behavior therapy enlarges the scope of behavior modification and includes the consciousness of the individual making the decision to commit crime. The goal of rehabilitation is reduction of crime and recidivism rates.  

Humans have been killing and maiming each other since the beginning of recorded history, and interestingly, violence is an acceptable way to deal with conflict on many levels. Although humans have to some degree evolved into prosocial societies, violence continues to remain at the top of the list in regard to media exploitation. Source: Hampton, 2017. Criminology in the USA. San Diego, CA: Channel Custom Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1-938087-25-7

Curriculum Technology wanted me to include research related material my book Criminology in the USA due to students requiring further information on research and academic writing. Chapter 4 & 5 include research related materials for your students. Source: Hampton, T. D., 2017. Criminology in the USA. Copyright 2017 by Curriculum Technology, p. 217. ISBN-13: 978-1-938087-25-7

Drug Crimes We have been at war on drugs for decades, with little likelihood for success. Again, the Cartels provide supply (drugs), based on the consumer demands. If you can reduce demand, the supply chain will diminish. Ideally, the solution is to provide treatment for those suffering from addiction to drugs, but that most likely will not occur. Research reveals that 10 percent of human populations are addicts throughout the globe. According to Drug Warfare Facts.Org (2014), 24.6 million Americans use drugs (8 percent of the U.S. population), and multiple resources estimate that Americans spend $100 Billion annually on illicit drugs. Global sales of illicit drugs are estimated to be $365 Billion annually (Drug Warfare Facts.Org, 2014). Although the United States represents five percent of the global population, Americans purchase 28% of illegal drugs available to the global community. Drug markets in privately owned apartment complexes are most often found in low-income areas where property owners sometimes retreat from investing in repairs and otherwise practicing effective management. In these markets, users and dealers buy and sell a wide range of illicit drugs, predominantly cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. The markets are often profitable for the dealer, and the income is nontaxable (shadow economy). Drug dealing in apartment complexes can attract other nuisance behavior that diminishes the residents’ quality of life, such as loitering; littering; trespassing; prostitution; drug use; abandoned vehicles; speeding vehicles; parking problems; unwanted additional foot, car and bicycle traffic in residential neighborhoods; public drinking; public urination; gang formation; graffiti; assaults; auto theft; auto break-ins; residential and commercial burglaries; possession of and trafficking in stolen property; weapons violations; robberies; drive-by shootings; or other violent crime. This helps explain why successfully tackling a drug market can bring about substantial decreases in crime in the surrounding area. Apartment complexes can harbor two main types of drug markets—open and closed. In open markets, dealers sell to all potential customers, screening out only those suspected of being police or some other threat. In closed markets, dealers sell only to people they know or to those vouched for by other buyers. Street prostitution and street drug markets are often closely linked, supporting, and reinforcing one another.    Source: (Hampton, 2016, p. 364) Success is not a coincidence; it is a planned event! Hampton, T. D. (2016). Proactive policing leadership: Leading and managing proactive police organizations. San Diego, CA: Channel Custom Publishing. https://lnkd.in/gBVFVgW  

Drug Crimes Illicit drug use in America has ignited a host of challenges facing communities today. Police are challenged with the process of interdicting drug crimes by locating and identifying the supplier, the supply chain, distributors, and end users, which is often difficult to do. Again, reducing drug crimes by arresting drug users is like removing an apple orchard by plucking the apples off the trees. You must disrupt the network system that provides the dope. Police often target the drug user because the user is low hanging fruit, cases are easy to prosecute, arrests skyrocket, and the chief can say we made a 1,000 drug arrests, which provides political capital, and generally ensures retention of the chief. This tactic is useless, and often serves the agenda of the police department rather than the community. Disrupting criminal drug networks requires the use of tier III investigative components in cooperation with tier I units who are the eyes on the ground. First, tier I investigators make drug arrests daily and can gain intelligence from users. Arrests involving drug possession should include in-depth interviews with the suspect to determine how they buy drugs, from whom they buy drugs from, and descriptions of how drug transaction occurs. This intelligence should be forwarded to tier III investigation from which profiles are built. There are many drug dealers, and because they are individuals, each seller has his or her own individual method of selling drugs, which can be distinguished from other sellers. Creating profiles, or modus operandi (MO) enhances the detective’s ability to connect crimes with other crimes because a MO has been established. Second, you might be surprised how many people charged with possession charges are willing to talk. Not asking is unacceptable. Drug users often want to break the cycle of addiction, and do not know how, and believe providing information to police is a step in the right direction. Third, tier III investigators should comb police reports, field interrogations, interview information sources, contact local law enforcement to determine if similar MOs exist, and if they do work together to solve the crime problem. For states close to the Mexican border, Border Patrol, IHS, and DEA should be contacted to gain intelligence, and learn if established routes for transport have been determined. Criminals like their routines as much as police do, and generally follow the same routines (transportation routes, drug concealment methods, staging locations, and contact sources). Figure out the Mo and you will disrupt the network.  Source: (Hampton, 2016, p. 364) Success is not a coincidence; it is a planned event! Hampton, T. D. (2016). Proactive policing leadership: Leading and managing proactive police organizations. San Diego, CA: Channel Custom Publishing. https://lnkd.in/gBVFVgW  

Perception of Qualified Immunity and Indemnity Recent surveys reveal now is the time to remove qualified immunity or create a hybrid statute capable of resolving the deleterious effect it has exacerbated since the 1980s. Ekins (2020), an analyst with CATO Institute, conducted multiple surveys during 2020 to determine what Americans had to say about qualified immunity. The results are listed below.     1. 63% support eliminating qualified immunity for police officers. 69% of Blacks and Latino support eliminating qualified immunity where only 62% of Whites support elimination.  2. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans (79%) say that if a police officer violates a person’s rights but was “unaware at the time that their actions were illegal” should be held accountable for that misconduct. 3. Similarly, 77% say police should not be able to avoid lawsuits for misconduct using ignorance of the law as a defense. 89% Democrats agree. 80% of Independents agree. 60% of Republicans agree. 79% of Democrats support the elimination of qualified immunity. 64% of Independents support eliminating qualified immunity. 42% of Republicans support eliminating qualified immunity. 4. 62% say police unions should not be allowed to collectively bargain over methods used to hold police officers accountable for misconduct. 71% of Democrats agree. 65% of Independents agree. 52% of Republicans agree. 5. 84% of Americans oppose the practice of many police union contracts requiring police officers’ records of misconduct be erased every few years.  89% of Democrats agree. 85% of Independents agree. 76% of Republicans agree. 6. American perception of police officers’ uses of excessive force while carrying out their duties. Whites – 20% Blacks – 50% Latinos – 45% Democrats – 40% Republicans – 10% 7. 52% of Americans under 35 believe racial bias is the primary cause of disparate arrest rates.* *(Ekins, 2020, Retrieved on October 14, 2020 from https://lnkd.in/gx2KNSiH). *the margin of error for the survey is +/- 2.36 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence Source: Hampton, 2020, personal communication. Police: Bias, Bigotry and Brutality, p. 101 

Success is not a coincidence; it is a planned event! Hampton, T. D. (2016). Proactive policing leadership: Leading and managing proactive police organizations. San Diego, CA: Channel Custom Publishing. https://lnkd.in/gBVFVgW  

The topic theft, thieves and fraud should provide an interesting study for the student and promote problem solving for a distinct form of crime in the United States. Source: Hampton, 2017. Criminology in the USA. San Diego, CA: Channel Custom Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1-938087-25-7