Juvenile Court judges know them. Vice detectives have followed some of their careers for decades. They know where they hang out. There's just no enforcement. In the triad of pimps, prostitutes and customers, pimps are the least likely to be arrested and prosecuted, even when the prostitute is a child, court records show.
Authorities blame weak laws, a lack of resources and the reluctance of prostitutes to testify.
But judges and child advocates say police and prosecutors haven't been aggressive enough in going after pimps who exploit children. They arrested the girl on a charge of loitering for drug-related activity, and she went to jail. But they let the man go free with a summons to appear in Recorder's Court, which handles nuisances. Judge Nikki Marr, who presided over the girl's case in DeKalb Juvenile Court, says police should have done more. But none of their actions addressed that at all.