Crime, Law and Social Change
Volume 72, Issue 5, 2019, Pages 501-525

Understanding the criminal justice process in human trafficking cases in Portugal: factors associated with successful prosecutions (Article)

Matos M. , Gonçalves M.* , Maia Â.
  • a School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
  • b School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
  • c School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

Abstract

The overall number of convictions for human trafficking is still very low. In order to understand the barriers and gaps to human trafficking prosecutions and convictions, it is pertinent to analyse the criminal justice processes at different stages of the criminal procedure. This study aims to respond to that gap by identifying the cases that initiated criminal justice procedure for the crime of human trafficking in Portugal, through the analysis of 30 records of criminal cases for human trafficking elapsed in Portugal between 2007 and 2015. The results showed that the majority of cases (71%) were filled after the criminal investigation phase, and only 2% of all cases were convicted for human trafficking. The analysis allowed to identify the factors of effectiveness and ineffectiveness shaping legal outcomes and also, the relevance of the victim cooperation in the different stages of criminal justice processes (e.g., police investigation, trial). © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.

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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85064279451&doi=10.1007%2fs10611-019-09834-9&partnerID=40&md5=84a464e341711018b8a1d353a2f4890c
DOI: 10.1007/s10611-019-09834-9
ISSN: 09254994
Original Language: English