Would mandatory jail time for "johns" put a dent in demand for human trafficking?

State Sen. Gayle Harrell thinks so, and she's filed a bill to make it required under Florida law.

Harrell, a Republican from Stuart, believes anyone convicted of soliciting prostitution from a victim of human trafficking should be forced to spend 30 days in jail, in addition to other penalties imposed by the courts.

“Maybe they would think twice,” Harrell said during an interview with the Editorial Board of TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers.

She believes it's time to pay more attention to "the demand side” of human trafficking.

Harrell filed the legislation, Senate Bill 370, in mid-January — as local law enforcement officers were wrapping up their months-long investigation of day spas suspected of holding women from China in "sexual servitude."

That investigation, made public last week, resulted in about 300 arrest warrants issued for men in Palm Beach County, the Treasure Coast and the Orlando area. Those charged with solicitation of prostitution include New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and billionaire GOP donor John Childs of Vero Beach (both of whom have denied any illegal activity).

Six people affiliated with the spas have been charged with offenses including racketeering, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution and, in the case of one Orlando suspect, human trafficking.

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The case has drawn national media attention, putting a spotlight on "johns" who enable the international sex trade.

Dave Aronberg, state attorney for the 15th Circuit, praised the intent of Harrell's bill — but he sees a potential flaw in its implementation.

"There's a timing issue there, because prostitution cases are usually quick to dispose, and human trafficking cases are usually lengthy," Aronberg said Monday.

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Often, there's a language barrier with victims of human trafficking. Stockholm syndrome is common, so they may be slow to cooperate, he said.

"You have to treat victims of human trafficking with the requisite care," Aronberg said.

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It would be challenging to prove human trafficking as quickly as prostitution-solicitation, he explained, so linking the two crimes' sentences could be difficult. Still, Aronberg said he's happy to work with Harrell and the bill's co-sponsor in the House, Rep. Toby Overdorf, to make it effective.

"Anything to go after modern-day slavery is a step in the right direction," Aronberg said.

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He believes mandatory sentences can sometimes be effective crime deterrents — but there's a longstanding debate about that in criminal justice circles.

Research on the topic is conflicting, with some evidence showing criminals don't respond to harsher sentencing. Other evidence indicates harsher sentences do work, but only up to a point, according to a 2016 report from The Economist.

As Martin County Sheriff William Snyder sees it, the penalties for the accused johns in the sex spa cases should be as harsh as possible.

“I’d vote for a year," he said when asked about the bill calling for a mandatory 30-day sentence. He suggested giving the convicted johns a similar penalty to the victims in these cases.

“Sentence them to work in a massage parlor for all those hours, seven days a week,” Snyder said.

Still, Snyder sees the bill as a decent start.

“It’s a step in the right direction," he said. "Because the ultimate offenders in this are the men, the end users.”

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As it is, there's no guarantee the accused johns will spend any time in jail.

Under Florida law, those convicted of solicitation of prostitution face penalties including:

A mandatory $5,000 civil fine;

Up to a $1,000 criminal fine;

100 hours of community service;

An 8-hour human trafficking course;

Mandatory testing for sexually transmitted diseases;

Up to 60-days of vehicle impoundment.

Punishment is harsher for repeat offenders.

If approved by the Legislature, which begins its annual session next week, the bill calling for 30-day mandatory sentences would take effect Oct. 1. It would not apply to those convicted as part of this month's spa sting.

Meanwhile, Overdorf said he's working on an expanded version of the bill that also would address penalties for accused pimps in human-trafficking cases.

“Right now you have to prove in the statute that they knowingly did this,” Overdorf said. “Let’s just say that we’re going to be working on those provisions.”

Eve Samples is opinion and audience engagement editor for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at eve.samples@tcpalm.com or @EveSamples on Twitter.