2026 Human Trafficking Awareness Week

Joette Katz will moderate the panel, "Sentencing Reform for Crime Victims: Does CT Need a Survivors Justice Act?" on February 18th from 6pm – 8pm as part of Quinnipiac Law’s Seventh Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week (February 16-20), hosted by Quinnipiac Law’s Human Trafficking Prevention Project (HTPP), in partnership with the Connecticut Bar Foundation and the Connecticut Bar Association’s Committee on Human Trafficking.

Session Description

Using force, fraud, and coercion, traffickers control their victims, often requiring them to commit a range of illegal acts and then threatening to expose them to criminal prosecution. Victims are regularly prosecuted for a range of crimes resulting from their trafficking.

This panel brings together human trafficking and criminal justice professionals to debate whether our state needs its own Survivors Justice Act (SJA or DVSJA or Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act) for crime victims who have been arrested and prosecuted in the criminal system. While versions of the SJA have passed in New York and other states, Connecticut legislators rejected various SJA proposals (SB-1502 & HB-7236) last session. Panelists will discuss issues central to sentencing survivors in our state: What changes would the SJA enact in Connecticut? What role should victimization play in sentencing decisions? How should sentencing and re-sentencing requests from survivors be decided? Does our criminal system already adequately take into account victimization in its sentencing decisions? What are other potential impacts of survivor justice legislation?

This is a free event. For more information and to submit anonymous questions for the panel, click here.

CPE Credits: Attorneys admitted in Connecticut may claim up to two (2) CLE hours