Not all sex trade survivors exit “the life” with a clean slate. Unfortunately, many survivors get caught up with the (in)justice system, often because of something their trafficker made them do. So what happens then? Is there a way to fight the system and defend yourself? How can you get a job if you have a record? In this episode, Melanie and survivor leader Shamere McKenzie discuss the realities of getting charged and/or labeled as "co-conspirators" with a trafficker, the complications that come with having a criminal record, the importance of trauma-informed legal aid, and how to rebuild your life when your slate isn’t legally clean.

This episode touches on all things relating to when an individual first exits the sex trade. Melanie and two survivor leaders (Doraina Rochford and Laura Mullen) get into the details, asking each other Remember when you first left “the life”? Can you remember how you felt? The first person you spoke to? The first place you went? They dive into the feelings of loneliness, isolation and other emotions, while navigating law enforcement, jail and juvenile detention centers, engaging with the hospital/medical systems, trying to find immediate services and much more.

In this episode, Melanie and her guests, Shandra Woworuntu and Laura Mullen, expand on what they’re seeing on the streets of New York City. They talk about the consequences of NYC’s current de facto decriminalization policy, the increase in street prostitution in East New York, the brothels in Jackson Heights, the illicit massage parlors (IMPs), their sting operations, and much more. Learn what’s actually happening on the streets – it’s not what they show in the movies.

This introductory episode lays the foundation of the entire podcast. Melanie and her guest Katrina Massey discuss all the myths and misconceptions our culture spews out about prostitution, trafficking and trafficking survivors: everything from Sound of Freedom, Taken, and Pretty Woman to the Wayfair, napkin, and zip tie conspiracy theories to the notion that “sex work” is empowering and much more. In this episode, Melanie and Katrina get into what makes survivors’ eyes roll, and the truths that they think the world should know.

Host Melanie Thompson introduces Exit Wound: The Journey of Exploitation and Beyond. Why this podcast? Why now?