With Prison Visitation Suspended Due To COVID-19, Families Of Incarcerated People Say Phone Calls Should Be Free

Telecommunications companies that serve prisons and jails, like Securus Technologies and Global Tel Link, are offering a limited number of free calls, but families say it’s not enough.

Molly Minta Apr 02, 2020

Florida’s HIV Criminalization Laws Target Sex Workers. A Reform Bill Offers Little Relief.

67% of people arrested under state laws that criminalize HIV exposure and transmission are sex workers. But new legislation meant to modernize these laws would retain harsh penalties against them.

Molly Minta Feb 28, 2020

In A Florida County, Sex Workers Are Ensnared In ‘Trafficking’ Raids

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister’s stings, conducted under the guise of targeting human trafficking, netted the largest number of arrests there since 2008. Sex workers say the operations put them at risk.

Molly Minta Jan 28, 2020

Florida Sheriffs Arrest Hundreds In ‘Trafficking’ Stings

Offices across the state conduct operations under the guise of saving victims of human trafficking. But the vast majority of people detained, including sex workers, are charged with prostitution.

Molly Minta Jul 25, 2019

In A North Florida County, Prosecutors Drop Nearly 50 Percent of Sexual Battery Cases

Over a three-year period, Alachua County prosecutors closed 236 sexual battery cases: 115 were dropped, 92 were offered plea deals, and seven went to trial.

Molly Minta Jun 24, 2019