U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Estimating the Unlawful Commercial Sex Economy in the United States
Award Information
Awardee
              The Urban Institute
Award #
              2010-IJ-CX-1674
Location
                    Washington, DC
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2010
Total funding (to date)
              $499,036
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 10 ORE Research and Evaluation on Human Trafficking
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2010, $499,036)
Research is desperately needed to 1) study the size and scope of the unlawful commercial sex economy (UCSE) in the U.S. and explore the extent to which the UCSE and other commercial sex activities are related.  This study relies on a multi-method approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data and estimate the size of the unlawful sex economy in the U.S and assess the ties across different types of activities in the UCSE. The proposed technique builds upon the theoretical and technical foundations used to estimate the size of other illicit economies and adapted to extant research on the activities that comprise the other unlawful commercial sex economies (sex trafficking, prostitution, and child pornography). This technique represents a top-down approach that will use data on total cash spending derived from federal data bases to first estimate the total unlawful economy and then determine the portion of the unlawful economy due to unlawful commercial sex, illegal weapons, illegal drugs, or other means (including both legal uses and other illegal uses such as under-the-table employment). The Urban Institute (UI's) Justice Policy Center (JPC), in collaboration with the City University of New York John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will test this method in six cities over a five year time period (2002 to 2007). 

To examine ties across different activities in the UCSE, the team will conduct a network analysis informed by interviews with convicted traffickers, prostitutes and pornographers at the federal, state and local levels and police investigators. These interviews will also explore the known nature and extent of the UCSE as well as probe for any connections between traffickers, pornographers and prostitutes as well as connections between the illegal sex, gun and drug markets. The result of the quantitative and qualitative data collection efforts will be an aggregate estimate of the unlawful economy and its sub economies supported by qualitative insights and experience of local law enforcement and convicted offenders.

The proposed research design will provide answers to the following questions: 1) How does the UCSE operate? and 2) What is the role of social networks in the USCE? ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Estimating the Underground Commercial Sex Economy in the U.S.
                  Estimating the Size and Structure of the Underground Commercial Sex Economy in Eight Major US Cities

  
Date Created: September 20, 2010
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      NIJ Innovations in Measuring Community Perceptions Challenge Winner: MCHawks
                  Experimental and numerical investigations for the development and validation of thermo-chemistry models and property databases for selected wall lining materials under fire exposure
                  Accuracy, Efficacy, and Reproducibility of Muzzle-to-Target Distance Determination using Gunshot Residue
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov