The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), also known as domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), is a pervasive human rights violation that disproportionally affects youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Given this correlation, several jurisdictions across the country have developed CSEC/DMST specialty courts to address and respond to the unique needs of court-involved youth. However, a major limitation of the CSEC/DMST specialty court literature is the lack of discourse regarding family involvement and family-based services. To enhance family-level interventions in CSEC/DMST specialty courts, it is first necessary that parents’ perspectives are centered to gain a deeper understanding of the parent-child relationship, their experiences of parenting a youth under court supervision, and their experiences in the specialty court program. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and perceived needs of parents involved in a specialty court program for CSEC/DMST. To achieve this goal, a phenomenological design and community-engaged research approach was utilized. Seven parents who were currently or formerly involved in a local CSEC/DMST specialty court participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis approach. Data analysis resulted in a total of 19 themes and 21 subthemes. Findings from this study reveal key themes pertaining to parents’ individual/family circumstances, parenting experiences, and experiences within a CSEC/DMST court. Key findings demonstrated that parents in this court experience chronic stress, limited resources, and difficulty finding appropriate services that addressed their child’s behaviors. Once involved in the CSEC/DMST court, parents stress decreased as they received specialized support; however, for some parents whose child had left the program, this stress returned post-programming. Parents generally shared positive experiences about the court and offered suggestions for specific areas for improvements relating to parent involvement/engagement. The findings suggest that implementing family-level interventions within specialty courts could be a crucial factor in promoting positive, sustained outcomes. Several implications for future research were identified. Furthermore, practice recommendations for CSEC/DMST courts and therapists working with families are provided. Findings from this study fill a critical gap in the literature by helping clinical researchers and practitioners toward the understanding necessary to develop culturally attuned family-level services for court-involved youth impacted by sexual exploitation or trafficking.
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