Month/Year of Graduation

12-2023

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Criminology and Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Kim Retzlaff

Abstract

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to use another person for sex or labor. Human trafficking is a prevalent issue within the United States that is not talked about enough. This leads to a misrepresentation of facts about human trafficking that can lead to common myths related to human trafficking. It is each state’s responsibility to develop laws and policies that protect victims and prosecute offenders justly according to the crime. This research delves into an analysis of Missouri and Nebraska state statutes to determine their effectiveness and assess the level of awareness among residents of each state regarding these statutes. There were two surveys distributed, one to residents of Missouri, and the other to residents of Nebraska. For Missouri, twenty-nine responses were recorded and for Nebraska, twenty-five responses were recorded. These responses showed the difference in knowledge of human trafficking from each state, as well as, how the similar statutes from each state are being implemented based on resident opinions or observations. All of this information is used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each state’s statutes, and how each state can improve upon them.

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