Jackson is the capitol city of Mississippi, and has a population of about 175,000.  Prostitution has been identified by police and others as a local concern, and there have been cases of sex trafficking and child endangerment in the area, and the associated production and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). For example, in March, 2013, an Atlanta man was convicted in U.S. District Court on human trafficking and child pornography production charges for traveling to Mississippi where he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl and videotaped the abuse. This conviction followed an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Massachusetts’ Cambridge Police Department. The man faced a maximum penalty of life in prison on the human trafficking charge and up to 30 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for production of child pornography.  Other forms of violence involved in the local commercial sex market have also been well documented, including a potential serial killer targeting prostituted women, and sex buyers shot during transactions.  In January, 2022, Jackson police investigated an aggravated assault case that happened at a motel on Highway 80.  Police said a man paid a woman $60 for sex after meeting on an online social site. While meeting at the motel, a third person entered the room, shot the sex buyer, and the sex buyer returned fire and shot the other man. All three were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The woman was was charged with aggravated assault and misdemeanor prostitution, and the other man was charged with aggravated assault and promoting prostitution.

Among the efforts to reduce sex trafficking, prostitution, and crimes associated with the sex trade have been attempts to address the consumer level demand that provides the revenue for the illicit market.  The Jackson Police Department has conducted street level reverse stings using undercover officers in areas known for prostitution, and using sites that advertise for prostitution online, in an effort to reduce consumer-level demand.  Arrested sex buyers have had their identities reported in the media, their vehicles seized, and faced fines and/or potential jail time.