Nevada seeks to close loophole in sex trafficking: offenders luring children face automatic life in prison

A new bill in the Nevada legislature would require sex dealers who try to lure minors (or law enforcement pretending to be children) to serve jail time, closing the legal loophole that allows them to escape.

Senate Bill 89 would force criminals to serve jail time as soon as they are caught by law enforcement, with harsher penalties the younger the child. The legislation specifically adds punishment for criminals who talk to law enforcement officers posing as underage children, while the current law does not provide for this, according to FOX 5 Las Vegas.

Under the bill, a sex trafficker who is suspected of trying to lure children over the Internet faces a Class A felony, automatic life imprisonment and a minimum parole term of five to fifteen years.

The minimum punishment that a perpetrator faces depends on the age of the desired victim of sex trafficking or on the age of the child in which the law enforcement officer poses.

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Since 2007, the national anti-trafficking hotline has received 4,408 calls from Nevada residents seeking help.
(Robert Nickelsberg)

“The younger the person, or the more they think they are, the harsher the punishment,” said state senator Heidi Sievers Gansert, a Republican.

She added: “Young people are well known to be involved in human trafficking at a very early age, and we want to do everything we can to ensure serious punishments.”

The new law will also double the window for applying for assistance from the Crime Victims Fund from 24 months to 48 months.

“These funds can be used for housing, for education, for childcare, for all sorts of different things that will help them get back on their feet. And, in the end, this is what we want. We want to make sure they have extra time due to the healing process,” Sievers Gansert said.

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Nevada has one of the highest rates of sex trafficking in the nation, and various agencies across the state have expanded the resources available to victims during January, which is Trafficking Awareness Month.

The Internet has made it easier to connect with people. Some predators have used availability to lure underage prey.
(ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Since 2007, the national anti-trafficking hotline has received 4,408 calls from Nevada residents seeking help, according to FOX Las Vegas.

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A third of the victims are exploited through hotels, the hotline told the publication.

The bill has bipartisan support.