And Probation TOO! The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children – A Criminal Justice Response

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Violet Dawson began her career with the Los Angeles County Probation Department in 2001 and has worked various functions including juvenile hall, quality assurance and adult AB 109. In November of 2013, she was assigned to the Probation Department’s Child Trafficking Unit (CTU) which provides supervision and support to youth that have been identified as victims of sex trafficking. Ms. Dawson is also a part of the CTU assessment team; which is tasked with completing interviews with youth who are suspected to be a victim of trafficking, supports youth who testify against their exploiters in adult court, and facilitates sex trafficking prevention workshops with community advocates. Ms. Dawson is also the CTU lead deputy for Los Angeles County’s Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC), a multi-agency response to victims of sex trafficking launched in 2014.

Michelle Guymon is currently the Director of the Child Trafficking Unit with Los Angeles County Probation Department. Ms.Guymon graduated from California State University, San Bernardino where she received her master’s degree in social work. She is the project manager for Los Angeles County’s Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children which was launched in August 2014, and which places a priority on treating children that are trafficked as victims rather than criminals. Ms. Guymon is a frequent presenter and trainer regarding child abuse issues, strategies for working with youth in the Probation system, and over the past 8-years has been presenting on the commercial sexual exploitation of children. She has also received numerous awards for her work in the area of child sex trafficking and has been featured in numerous articles and in the media as a subject matter expert in the area of child sex trafficking in Los Angeles, and more specific, within the juvenile justice system. Ms. Guymon is currently the co-Chair of the Los Angeles County CSEC Integrated Leadership Team working with various county/community agencies to create a multi-system response model for CSEC in Los Angeles County. She is an advocate for youth and is, and always has been very passionate about her work within the Probation Department.