About STRAP

Safety. Stability. Reintegration.

STRAP exists to intervene early, respond responsibly, and support youth toward lasting safety and stability.
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WHO STRAP IS

STRAP — Safety Trauma, Accountability & Prevention— was developed to address the growing number of youth impacted by or vulnerable to sexual exploitation, particularly those intersecting with juvenile justice, education systems, and community supervision. STRAP is a court-informed, trauma-responsive program designed to intervene early, stabilize youth, and support long-term safety and reintegration without criminalizing victimization or requiring disclosure.

Mission Statement

STRAP’s mission is to prevent and interrupt sexual exploitation by addressing the behavioral, emotional, and systemic risk factors that place youth in harm’s way. Through structured, trauma-informed intervention, accountability, and recovery-focused support, STRAP partners with courts, schools, and families to promote safety, stability, and long-term reintegration for vulnerable youth.

Introducing M.A.Z.E

STRAP was developed through the work of MAZE Youth Advocacy, a community-based organization focused on prevention, youth advocacy, and intervention for justice-involved and at-risk youth. Through years of direct service, MAZE identified consistent patterns linking truancy, runaway behavior, emotional dysregulation, and digital exposure to sexual exploitation. These patterns revealed a need for a more structured, court-aligned intervention model. STRAP was established as a distinct program to meet that need—allowing for formal court partnerships, structured accountability, and trafficking-specific intervention while building upon the experience and insight gained through MAZE’s work. STRAP was created to respond to these patterns with a structured, accountable, and court-aligned program model.

Why This Information Matters Now

As exploitation has increasingly shifted into digital spaces and peer networks, traditional intervention models have struggled to keep pace. STRAP exists to bridge the gap between prevention and recovery—providing courts, schools, and families with a clear, defensible pathway to intervene before harm escalates and to support youth already impacted.

The Connection Between MAZE → STRAP to show:
  • Experience
  • Credibility
  • Evolution

S

Safety 

A safety/strategic approach to trafficking intervention means acting intentionally and early—addressing the behavioral, emotional, and environmental risk factors that traffickers exploit, rather than responding only after harm has escalated. Strategy prioritizes prevention, appropriate placement, and measurable outcomes over reactive or punitive responses.

T

Trauma

In the context of trafficking, trauma refers to the psychological, emotional, and physiological impact of coercion, manipulation, instability, and exploitation. Trauma-informed intervention recognizes that many behaviors courts encounter—such as truancy, running away, resistance, or compliance—are survival responses rather than willful defiance.

R

Reintegration 

Reintegration is the process of supporting youth as they safely reengage with school, family, community, and authority systems after exploitation or high-risk involvement. It focuses on restoring stability, identity, and functioning while reducing the likelihood of re-exploitation or system reentry.

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P

Accountability 






     Prevention

Accountability in trafficking intervention means helping youth understand risk, responsibility, and boundaries without criminalizing victimization. It emphasizes honest reflection, behavior change, and decision-making skills while recognizing the impact of coercion and trauma on past actions.




Prevention addresses the conditions that allow exploitation to occur—such as disengagement from school, unstable housing, digital exposure, and lack of protective relationships. In trafficking contexts, prevention is both early intervention and ongoing protection, aimed at interrupting pathways before harm repeats.
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