Riverhead Correctional Facility lit up blue to draw attention to human trafficking

January 2023 is National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Month, which coincides with the Department of Homeland Security’s annual Blue Campaign, a national public awareness initiative to educate the public about the signs of trafficking victims. To raise awareness, the central façade of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Correctional Institution in Riverhead will be illuminated with blue light throughout January.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office have supported the Blue Campaign over the past few years. “Trafficking is happening in Suffolk County and in communities across the country,” Sheriff Toulon said. “Most often these victims are women who are vulnerable due to substance abuse problems and may have had several traumatic experiences throughout their lives. It is not uncommon for young people in the foster family system to become victims of human trafficking, but men and women of any background can be victims.”

In 2018, Sheriff Toulon founded the Sheriff’s Human Trafficking Initiative (SATI), the first unit of its kind in the country to operate in a correctional facility. The main goal is to ensure that all victims of human trafficking passing through the Suffolk County Correctional Facility are identified and have access to the services they need to recover. In addition, they receive support throughout their long journey as survivors through the START Resource Center and the many non-profit service providers that partner with the Sheriff’s Office. Since its inception, SATI has conducted 4,224 interviews with prisoners, identified 282 victims of human trafficking, and identified 170 perpetrators. Criminal investigations into these traffickers are being coordinated with local, state and federal partners working with the Suffolk County Anti-Trafficking Initiative.