This year, Good Samaritan Advocates is honored to welcome Vanessa Perkins as our speaker. Vanessa has first-hand expertise and understanding of the justice system, both as the current bailiff for the Franklin County CATCH Court (the Columbus, Ohio human trafficking docket), and as a Survivor Leader and Advocate who shares her own story of healing and recovery with those working to reform the justice system across the United States.

Vanessa’s story begins in the small rural town of Nelsonville, Ohio. As a child, she was sexually abused for years. In the midst of these traumatic experiences, Vanessa turned to unhealthy coping skills such as drug and alcohol use, which were in turn exploited by traffickers preying on her vulnerability. She was eventually trafficked in Columbus, where she also became involved with the criminal justice system. Her last arrest in 2009 afforded her the opportunity to opt into CATCH Court, Franklin County’s specialized docket for survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

After a period of time where she was focused primarily on her own healing and recovery, she began to dip her toes into the waters of employment and independence. Vanessa worked for a couple of years at a local nonprofit social enterprise called Freedom a la Cart, where she developed skills that ultimately allowed her to enter a different kind of workforce. In 2013, was hired by the Columbus City Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence & Stalking Unit, where she was promoted multiple times including serving as Chief Assistant to the Chief Prosecutor. In 2018 she accepted a position as CATCH Court’s Bailiff to the now-retired Judge Paul Herbert, in the very court room where she experienced her own healing in a court committed to justice reform. Instead of standing in the middle of the courtroom to check-in with her CATCH Court Judge, Vanessa sat right next to him as a co-worker and partner, helping him carry out the mission he started to serve exploited women in Ohio. Vanessa continues to serve as the CATCH Court bailiff for Judge Gina Russo.

Vanessa has educated thousands of people, presenting at conferences such as the End Violence Against Women International conference, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals national conference, the International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference. Most recently, she presented to the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.

Today, Vanessa is a Survivor Leader paving the way for other survivors on their healing journeys.

Photo above: Vanessa with former Ohio Governor John R. Kasich. Vanessa’s advocacy directly shaped changes to Ohio’s laws increasing support for victims of human trafficking, and enacting harsher penalties for traffickers.