Why punish victims?
We’ve noted before that human trafficking is a growing problem in Oklahoma, due in part to having three major interstate highways in our state. The issue arose again recently in Tulsa when a prostitution bust turned up several women claiming to have been kidnapped, held against their will, and forced into prostitution.
Police are investigating those claims, but in the meantime one of the women has been arrested on a complaint of soliciting prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church or school and is being held on a $1,500 bond.
If that seems unfair, state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, agrees. She’s filed legislation to allow expungement of law enforcement and court records of any prostitution conviction incurred by a victim of human trafficking.
That’s a good idea, one legislators should quickly embrace. It makes no sense to punish victims for the crimes of their abusers.
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On the surface this looks good but as the “victims” learn how to use the law there may be a lot of cases where a “victim” can make the claim (lie) they were kidnapped to avoid prosecution. Any and all holes that would allow this to happen needs to be closed so this does not happen. If there is more to the propsed law it needs to be revealed. Lawmakers rarely ever think like a criminal when they write laws and seem to be surprised when a smart criminal, lawyer or a judge let criminals go on technicalities. It’s good to protect the innocent and I am all for that, but don’t include a way of allowing a loophole that would let criminals go too.