L.A.’s Legal System Tries to Combat Child Prostitution

Child sex trafficking is a crime we often associate with far-off countries, but it happens here in L.A., too. And now, there’s a renewed interest by authorities to fight it. Last July, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey created her office’s first Human Trafficking Unit to go after pimps who exploit minors. Three years ago, the county created a special court to handle cases involving sexually exploited girls. Now, officials are talking about creating yet another special court -- this one inside the family court system -- that would try to help these kids before they’re arrested on criminal charges.