Show notes
Prosecutors play an important role in raising awareness about human trafficking issues and serving victims. Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak interview Tamara Ross from the office of the San Bernardino County District Attorney. Tamara shares the lessons she's learned in working with juveniles and what others in the legal profession may want to consider to help end human trafficking.
Key Points
Within the Juvenile Court System, the main goal isn't to punish or sentence children, but rather to rehabilitate and protect them.
Voluntary placement is a challenge with young victims because oftentimes they won't volunteer due to emotional trauma, trust issues, or simply young age.
With a lack of comprehensive victim services, it's difficult to have willing witnesses to prosecute their pimps.
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Transcript
Dave [00:00:00] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 26, airing on April 13th, 2012. You're listening to the ending human trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.
Sandie [00:00:28] And I'm Sandie Morgan.
Dave [00:00:30] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, in the last episode we had summarized the conference that we had this year in the Global Center for Women and Justice.
Sandie [00:00:45] Ensure Justice 2012 is over.
Dave [00:00:47] It is. And So, if you missed it, go back and take a listen to episode number 25, because that leads right into our topic today and our guests today. And I'm going to let you get us started on that, Sandie. Actually, before we do that, let me jump in with the contact information here, for those of you who maybe are listening for the first time and wanting to learn more about how you can study the issues and educate yourself and your organization about the issues, that will help you to be part of our team to end human trafficking. And as you're listening today, if you have questions for us or for our guest, please give us a call. You can reach us at (714) 966-6361. And we will respond to you and we will address them on a future show. And of course, you can always email us at the Global Center for Women and Justice at [email protected]. And that's a great way to reach out to us with comments or questions. And so, Sandie, I think it's time for us to introduce our guest today.
Sandie [00:01:56] So, in the last podcast, I talked about the panel on Saturday afternoon at Ensure Justice 2012 that was moderated by Judge Doug Hatchimonji here in Orange County. Carissa Phelps our victim who became a survivor and now an advocate was on the panel. And then we had two prosecutors, Theresa Lourey from Las Vegas and Tamara Ross from San Bernardino. And Tamara was raised in Tallahassee, Florida. You will hear that when she talks to us and has a degree in journalism from Florida A&M and also, a JD at the University of Southern California Law School in Los Angeles. And she began her career as a deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County, prosecuting a variety of misdemeanor and felony cases. But since 2005, Tamara has been assigned to the juvenile division, where she developed a strong interest in cases involving sexually exploited youth. Her insights into the issue and vocalization about the lack of treatment resources for children arrested for prostitution activity led to the development of the San Bernardino County Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation case, a multi-agency coalition with the primary tasks of ending sexual exploitation within the county and providing effective restoration options for its victims. Tamara, welcome to Ending Human Trafficking.
Tamara [00:03:32] Thank you very much.