Evaluation of the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking, United States, 2015-2020

The National Institute of Justice funded the Urban Institute to conduct this multi-site, mixed-methods evaluation of the impact of the U.S. DOJ-funded Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) task forces on addressing human trafficking. Specifically, this study sought to (1) understand the impact of the ECM task forces in identifying and assisting human trafficking survivors and investigating and prosecuting human trafficking, and (2) analyze differences in various task force implementation models (e.g., structure and organization) to understand which task force models and features contribute to prosecutions. In addition, this research sought to understand the investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services practices among ECM task forces; challenges and barriers task forces face in combating human trafficking; and synthesize best practices and recommendations for developing and implementing successful task forces.
This data collection includes three datasets compiled from law enforcement closed case files and organized for analysis by case, victim(s), and suspect(s). The collection also includes a README file describing qualitative data consisting of transcripts from interviews with law enforcement officers and other stakeholders involved with ECM task forces.