Student Staff Update: Lorri Ann Drazan

This blog post was written by 1L Lorri Ann Drazan

This semester I have had the privilege to join the Center for Global Justice student staff as a first-year law student. Over the last few months, I have been working on a research project for Shared Hope International. Shared Hope is an organization that is dedicated to ending sex trafficking with a focus on prevention, restoration, and justice. My research has involved analyzing statutes in all 50 states to determine the possible repercussions on victim-offenders of statutes aimed at facilitators. Victim-offenders may perform similar acts like those of sex trafficking facilitators; however, victim-offenders often have no choice due to the amount of control the trafficker has over them. So far I have completely analyzed the statutes in three states and have begun analysis on six more states. Shared Hope will use our statutory analysis in implementing recommendations to state legislators to improve state laws regarding facilitators and victim-offenders.

My work on this project has specifically piqued my interest in human trafficking. In fact, I will be interning with an organization in Israel over the summer where I will have the opportunity to work on human trafficking issues. During my interview, my internship employer was impressed with the fact that I have had exposure to researching these issues as a first-year law student. I am grateful for the opportunity to work on real legal research as a law student that I can then transfer into my summer work experience. The Center for Global Justice student staff is a great way to succeed in (what I like to call) the “backpack to briefcase” transition.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.