Doug Lloyd blasts Eli Savit’s ‘dangerous’ sex work policy in Michigan AG race

Human trafficking survivors joined GOP attorney general candidate Doug Lloyd to call out opponent Eli Savit’s position on sex work
As Washtenaw County prosecutor, Savit decriminalized consensual sex work but still prosecutes human trafficking
Survivors say his approach encourages trafficking. Savit maintains the policy targets traffickers while sparing sex workers

LANSING — Joined by human trafficking survivors, Republican attorney general candidate Doug Lloyd on Thursday chastised Democratic opponent Eli Savit’s for decriminalizing consensual sex work as Washtenaw County prosecutor.

“His stance on legalizing prostitution is foolish and dangerous. It is the perspective of a social engineer, not a prosecutor,” Lloyd said, arguing that Savit’s policy “ignores the realities of the sex trade.”

Savit, a Democrat running for attorney general, announced in 2021 that his office in Washtenaw County would no longer prosecute adults for consensual sex work.

Under the policy, Washtenaw County continues to prosecute human traffickers and those who commit crimes like rape or abuse in the process of buying sex. But Savit has maintained that it is important to spare sex workers from criminal charges for something they may have been forced into.

“It’s about building trust, and it’s about ultimately getting the bad guys behind bars,” Savit told Bridge in May.

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Leyna Luttrull, a human trafficking survivor and director of collaborative initiatives for the Michigan Anti-Trafficking Project, called Savit’s policy “empty and spineless.” She and three other women joined Lloyd to speak out against the policy, arguing it could lead to human trafficking.

They also called for the passage of several House and Senate bills that aim to strengthen penalties for human trafficking and give human trafficking victims more ability to expunge related criminal records. Both bill packages remain stalled in the state House Judiciary Committee.

A row of women standing next to each other. — From left: Leyna Luttrull, Nicole Harbert, Rissa Joy and Adira James. All four spoke in opposition of Democratic attorney general candidate Eli Savit’s decision to decriminalize “consensual” sex work in Washtenaw County as prosecutor. (Jordyn Hermani/Bridge Michigan)

“If I continue to buy things from the store, the store is going to have to restock, correct?” Luttrell said. “That’s what buying sex is like — it fuels supply and demand.”

Savit and Lloyd will face off in the Nov. 3 general election for the chance to replace Attorney General Dana Nessel, a term-limited Democrat.

Savit campaign spokesperson Naina Agrawal-Hardin defended his record in a statement, saying that “as prosecutor, Eli has secured trafficking convictions, put predators behind bars, and prioritized supporting victims over prosecuting them.”

Savit previously told Bridge Michigan he won’t take some of his more controversial policies statewide. Regarding decriminalizing consensual sex work, Savit said his goal in Washtenaw County was to not victimize an already vulnerable population.

It’s a similar approach taken in Democratic cities like New York and Baltimore and backed by groups like the ACLU, which advocates for decriminalization as a way to end violence against sex workers by making them less fearful to talk to law enforcement or prosecutors.

In contending that decriminalizing sex work makes human trafficking worse, Lloyd’s campaign cited a 2012 research paper that concluded “countries where prostitution is legal experience larger reported human trafficking inflows.”

The methodology of that research has been challenged, however. Another expert recently called it “flawed” and inconclusive.

Data from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office shows the county has continued to prosecute other sex crimes under Savit. There have been 65 such cases so far this year through Sept. 6, according to the most recent data available, as well as one case recorded as “commercial sex (other) accost/solicit.”

The majority of sex crime charges stem from cases involving minors.

Luttrell said she was glad Savit has a “strong stance” on prosecuting other sex crimes, but she remains opposed to his policy on consensual sex work.

“Trafficking is the intersection of multiple crimes that are happening,” added Rissa Joy, a familial sex-trafficking survivor and co-founder of the Survivor Advocacy Board for the YWCA Kalamazoo.

“To have someone that is only willing to hit that crime in an easy way … versus being willing to do the hard work of going after it for the crime that it actually is, and having a track record of being willing to go after the hard crimes? That’s what matters to me.”