Nearly two years after being freed by Ohio’s governor, child sex trafficking survivor Alexis “Kee” Martin is back in prison. Martin’s commutation was revoked after she violated the conditions of her parole. She will now serve the remainder of a 21 years-to-life sentence for a crime that occurred when she was 15 years old, reports the Washington Post. “To other survivors who support me and look to me for hope, I apologize for letting them down,” said Martin, 24. "I won’t give up until every last person in the world tells me no and that I deserve to be behind bars.” Martin had been placed on parole for at least 14 years. She was required to wear an ankle monitor, not leave the state without permission and be subject to random checks from parole officers. During a check last December, she was at her apartment with two men. Parole officers, along with Middletown, Oh., police, found 26 grams of cocaine, 45 grams of marijuana and two firearms. Martin and the men were taken into custody.
Under the terms of her release, Martin could not possess or “have under her control” firearms or illegal substances. Because the apartment belonged to her, the items were deemed under her control. She was returned to the Ohio Reformatory for Women for a parole violation hearing. Her attorney, Jennifer Kinsley, argued that Martin did not know the drugs or guns were in her apartment. She said they belonged to one of the men who was arrested, a 41-year-old Martin had been dating. Her story has continued to influence courts and lawmakers who are re-examining whether the unique trauma of sex trafficking should minimize punishment for victims involved in crimes. In Wisconsin, Martin’s case was invoked in a brief to the state Supreme Court as it weighs the fate of sex trafficking survivor Chrystul Kizer. In Washington, Martin was one of several survivors whose experience influenced the “Abolish Human Trafficking Reauthorization Act" introduced in Congress last week.
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