Exploring the Role of the Internet in Juvenile Prostitution Cases Coming to the Attention of Law Enforcement.

This exploratory analysis examines the role of the Internet in juvenile prostitution cases coming to the attention of law enforcement. The National Juvenile Prostitution Study (N-JPS) collected information from a national sample of law enforcement agencies about the characteristics of juvenile prost...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 327 - 343
Main Authors: Wells, Melissa, Mitchell, Kimberly J., Ji, Kai
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd May/Jun2012
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:This exploratory analysis examines the role of the Internet in juvenile prostitution cases coming to the attention of law enforcement. The National Juvenile Prostitution Study (N-JPS) collected information from a national sample of law enforcement agencies about the characteristics of juvenile prostitution cases. In comparison to non-Internet juvenile prostitution cases, Internet juvenile prostitution cases involved younger juveniles and police were more likely to treat juveniles as victims rather than offenders. In addition, these cases were significantly more likely to involve a family or acquaintance exploiter. This analysis suggests that the role of the Internet may impact legal and social service response to juveniles involved in prostitution. In addition, it highlights the need for interventions that acknowledge the vulnerabilities of youth involved in this type of commercial sexual exploitation.