PhD Seminar Series: Policy Modeling for Sex Trafficking Legislation in Massachusetts

I will present a work-in-progress project that develops a decision-support tool to guide policymaking on sex trafficking legislation in Massachusetts. Sex trafficking, the largest form of modern-day slavery, remains a serious issue across the United States. In Massachusetts, advocacy organizations are actively pushing for competing legislative approaches. In collaboration with a subject-matter expert, we constructed a simulation of the commercial sex system and calibrated it to Massachusetts using diverse data sources. Preliminary results from the model are intended to inform upcoming deliberations of the state senate judiciary committee. I will discuss the problem of sex trafficking and the broader landscape of commercial sex work, with a focus on Massachusetts. This includes an examination of the limited data on sex work in the United States and the methods we use to generate Massachusetts-specific estimates. I will also review potential legislative approaches and the history of advocacy efforts in the state. Next, I will walk through the process of developing a simulation model of commercial sex work and sex trafficking. Finally, I will present preliminary results, highlight their implications for current policy debates, and show how the model can serve as a tool for evaluating future intervention strategies.