PHOENIX (AZFamille) — Voters decided “yes” to Proposition 313, which would require anyone convicted of child sex trafficking to be sentenced to life in prison.

Arizonans overwhelmingly decided to pass the measure with a 61.82% vote on Election Day, surpassing one million votes.

Currently in Arizona, people convicted of sex trafficking a child under the age of 15 face a minimum sentence of seven years in prison.

Under the new measure, anyone convicted of child sex trafficking will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole or release.

Last month, supporters of the bill held a public meeting in Scottsdale with Arizona Republican Sen. Janae Shamp and Kayleigh Kozak, the namesake of Kayleigh’s lawwhich was passed in 2022 and aimed to protect victims of abuse.

However, critics of the ballot measure said life sentences generally require a higher burden of proof to obtain a guilty verdict, which can be more difficult to obtain in these types of cases. Arizona’s family spoke to a sex trafficking expert who was against the proposal.

Dominique Roé-Sepowitzthe director of ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Response and Researchstressed that the current justice system does indeed hold those who commit these crimes accountable. She explained that changing the punishment for criminals convicted of child sex trafficking to life in prison complicates the legal process.

If you saw something suspicious or need help in a traffic situation, you can find more information and a hotline here.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a news report? Send it’s ours here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.