Locked In: Interactions with the Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Systems for LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Who Engage in Survival Sex

R E S E A R C H R E P O R T Locked In Interactions with the Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Systems for LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Who Engage in Survival Sex Meredith Dank Lilly Yu Jennifer Yahner Elizabeth Pelletier U R B A N IN S TI TU TE U R B A N IN S TI TU TE U R B A N IN S TI TU TE U R B A N IN S TI TU TE Mitchyll Mora Brendan Conner S TR E E TW I S E A N D SA FE S TR E E TW I S E A N D SA FE September 2015 A D O L E S C E N T S A N D Y O U TH A B O U T T H E U R B A N I N S T I T U T E The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. For nearly five decades, Urban scholars have conducted research and offered evidence-based solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities across a rapidly urbanizing world. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the effectiveness of the public sector. Copyright © September 2015. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to the Urban Institute. Cover image from Will Anderson. Contents Acknowledgments v Highlights 1 Literature Review 6 New York City’s Juvenile Justice and Criminal Justice Systems 6 Vulnerability to Justice System Involvement among LGBTQ Youth 7 LGBTQ Youth Experiences of Being Policed 8 LGBTQ Youth Experiences in the Justice System 10 LGBTQ Youth in the Child Welfare System 11 Services and Resources Available to LGBTQ Youth 11 Current Study Goals and Methodology 13 LGBTQ Youth Interactions with and Perspectives of Law Enforcement 15 Youth Demographics 15 What Types of Interactions Have LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Engaged in Survival Sex in New York City Had with Law Enforcement? 16 Whom Do Youth Turn to When in Trouble? 58 Concluding Thoughts 62 Criminal Justice System Responses to LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW 63 LGBTQ-Affirming Policies and Practices 63 What Challenges Does the Criminal Justice System Face in Addressing this Population? 66 What Do Stakeholders Need to Better Serve LGBTQ Youth? 69 What Role Does the Criminal Justice System Play for LGBTQ Youth Engaged in Survival Sex? 72 Child Welfare Stakeholder Perspectives 77 How Does the Child Welfare System Respond to LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW? 77 What Challenges Does the Child Welfare System Face Addressing This Population? 79 LGBTQ Youth Perspectives on Child Welfare 81 What are LGBTQ Youths’ Experiences in the Child Welfare System? 81 Perspectives on Child Welfare Experiences 85 Concluding Thoughts 88 Discussion and Summary 89 Policy and Practice Recommendations 97 How These Agencies Can Be Improved According to Young People 113 Glossary 117 Notes 121 References 123 About the Authors 128 Statement of Independence 130 V A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S Acknowledgments This report was funded by the Urban Institute. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. The data collection for this report was supported by Grant #2011-JF-FX-0001 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice. The authors would like to thank the brave and resilient youth who participated in this study, as well as Andrea Ritchie and the staff of Streetwise and Safe, who assisted us in identifying appropriate youth and conducting interviews for this study, especially Bhavana Nancherla, Kimi Lundie, and Jonathan Gonzalez. We also thank Isela Bañuelos and Kuniko Madden and the Urban Institute full-time and temporary staff who assisted throughout various stages of data collection, transcription, and coding: Pam Lachman, Dwight Pope, Doug Gilchrist-Scott, Andrea Matthews, Emily Tiry, and Rachel Goldberg. In addition, we are grateful to those who provided careful reviews of project findings: Janine Zweig of the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, Judy Yu of the Correctional Association of New York, Andrea Ritchie of Streetwise and Safe, and Shannan Wilber of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. H I G H L I G H T S 1 Highlights In 2011, researchers from the Urban Institute launched a three-year study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) youth; young men who have sex with men (YMSM); and young women who have sex with women (YWSW) engaged in survival sex in New York City. Working in partnership with the New York City–based organization Streetwise and Safe (SAS), researchers trained youth leaders to conduct in-depth interviews with a total of 283 youth who engaged in survival sex in New York City and self-identified as LGBTQ, YMSM, or YWSW. In February 2015, we released the first report in this series, which focused specifically on the expe