How are arrested prostitutes treated?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - News 4 went with police on a raid of a local massage parlor, focusing on the hidden world of prostitution happening in western New York's suburbs. But how are these women treated once they are arrested?

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There was a time in Buffalo when prostitution arrests topped the front page of the Buffalo News. And the subject of many of those headlines was Marcelline Jackson.

"Back in the 70s, anything that happened to a prostitute, they said it was an occupational hazard. I've been attacked. I've had knives pulled on me. I've been raped," she said.

Jackson's criminal record was so long, the printout cascaded onto the floor when held by the police commissioner for a photo. By the age of 22, she was known as "Buffalo's most notorious prostitute."

One hundred arrests did nothing to steer Jackson from a life walking the streets. She worked for a pimp, was addicted to drugs and routinely picked pockets. To her, this was the best way she knew how to provide for her three daughters.

WEB EXTRA | It is miraculous that Jackson survived her very dangerous life. See our full interview with the woman once dubbed the Queen City's most notorious prostitute

Today in Erie County, Deputy Elizabeth Fildes is a human trafficking expert trying to change the way prostitution is perceived. She refers to all prostitutes working for a pimp as sex slaves and pimps as human traffickers.