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Science Versus Slavery: The National Institute of Justice and the Future Directions of Knowledge Put to the Service of the Anti-Trafficking Movement

NCJ Number
248926
Journal
Journal of Human Trafficking Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: April 2015 Pages: 39-55
Author(s)
John Picarelli
Date Published
April 2015
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article argues that although much progress has been made in identifying how trafficking in persons operates and in locating promising practices to counter it, more is needed to improve the scholarly rigor and practical impacts of these studies.
Abstract
Studies originating from the social and behavioral sciences (herein reduced to the phrase "science") have focused increasingly on the topic of trafficking in persons. This article opens with a discussion of one of the largest collections of human-trafficking research in the United States, i.e., the National Institute of Justice's research portfolio addressing trafficking in persons. The article next reviews the findings from a recent expert working group, placing the findings from the research portfolio into the larger context of the field. The article then concludes with a discussion of where the research community should next turn its attention and how best to improve future studies of trafficking in persons. (Publisher abstract modified)