TY - JOUR PY - 2010// TI - Conceptualizing Juvenile Prostitution as Child Maltreatment: Findings From the National Juvenile Prostitution Study JO - Child maltreatment A1 - Mitchell, K. J. A1 - Finkelhor, Simon David A1 - Wolak, Janis SP - 18 EP - 36 VL - 15 IS - 1 N2 - Two studies were conducted to identify the incidence (Study 1) and characteristics (Study 2) of juvenile prostitution cases known to law enforcement agencies in the United States. Study 1 revealed a national estimate of 1,450 arrests or detentions (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1,287-1,614) in cases involving juvenile prostitution during a 1-year period. In Study 2, exploratory data were collected from a subsample of 138 cases from police records in 2005. The cases are broadly categorized into three main types: (a) third-party exploiters, (b) solo prostitution, and (c) conventional child sexual abuse (CSA) with payment. Cases were classified into three initial categories based on police orientation toward the juvenile: (a) juveniles as victims (53%), (b) juveniles as delinquents (31%), and (c) juvenile as both victims and delinquents (16%). When examining the status of the juveniles by case type, the authors found that all the juveniles in CSA with payment cases were treated as victims, 66% in third-party exploiters cases, and 11% in solo cases. Findings indicate law enforcement responses to juvenile prostitution are influential in determining whether such youth are viewed as victims of commercial sexual exploitation or as delinquents.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1077-5595 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077559509349443 ID - ref1 ER -