Military Justice News
Scripps Washington Bureau Wins Peabody Award for Military Sex Offender Series
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
In 2014, Scripps national correspondent Mark Greenblatt released his 10-part "Under the Radar" (http://www.scripps.com/undertheradar) investigative series. After reviewing more than 1,300 military courts-martial cases, he 'uncovered at least 242 convicted military rapists, child molesters, and other sex offenders who had slipped through what a member of the House Armed Services Committee called a "gaping loophole" in the system. The flaw allows sex offenders to stay off public sex offender registries when they leave the brig, freeing them to re-offend.'
Suit Revives Controversy on Air Force Explicit Songbook
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
Susan Burke filed a new lawsuit seeking to stop the Defense Department from putting commanders in charge of sexual assault cases in their units. The case revives a 2012 controversy over a sexually explicit songbook of "misogynistic trash" that some fighter pilots allegedly still use.
Ashland Police Detective Shares Sexual Abuse Reporting Protocols at Pentagon
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
APD’s You Have Options program is intended to increase reports of sexual assault so that offenders may be prosecuted and prevented from committing future offenses. The program offers sexual violence victims a safe and flexible platform for anonymous reporting. Throughout the reporting process, victims control who is contacted during the investigation and when to proceed with charges if they decide to do so.
Army Civilian Develops Interview Method to Help Unlock Memories, Reduce Revictimization
Monday, August 4, 2014 | Category: Military Justice - National
Russell Strand, a Fort Leonard Wood researcher, created a revolutionary approach to interviewing sexual assault victims that is obtaining more information about crimes--potentially leading to more offender prosecutions.
Reports of Sexual Assault Up Sharply
Thursday, May 1, 2014 | Category: Military Justice - National
The numbers break out this way: There were 5,061 sex assault reports in the 2013 fiscal year, which ended last September 30. That represents a 50% increase from the same period the year before.
Military Sex Assault Trial Showcases 2 Approaches to Prosecution
Sunday, March 2, 2014 | Category: Military Justice - National
Using the Army Brigadier General Jeffrey A. Sinclair courts-martial case as a point of reference, perspectives on who should prosecute sexual assault cases in the military are discussed to include in or out of the military chain of command and in or out of the military.
Military Chiefs to Face Tough Sexual Assault Questions
Sunday, June 2, 2013 | Category: Military Justice - National
Military service chiefs will testify about their plans to deal with the burgeoning crisis of sexual assault in the ranks. They will face a group of female senators determined to change a culture they call demeaning to women.
At Military Sexual Assault Hearing, Expect Mostly Men
Sunday, June 2, 2013 | Category: Military Justice - National
Military leaders insisted for decades that they had the tools to stop sexual assault within the ranks, but no “silver bullet” solution. After years of trainings, public awareness campaigns, and other administrative directives failed to decrease the rate of military sexual violence, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold its first full hearing in nearly 10 years, one that could lead to fundamental changes to the way the armed forces deal with a problem Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called a “scourge.”
The Feres Doctrine: What Soldiers Really Need Are Lawyers
Saturday, August 18, 2007 | Category: Military Justice - National
Jonathan Turley discusses how military servicemembers lost legal protections as a result of a 1950 Supreme Court ruling based on several cases that were collectively referred to as the Feres Doctrine. The doctrine was named after Army Lt. Rudolph Feres, whose claim stated he died in a New York barracks fire allegedly started by an unsafe heating system. The Supreme Court's interpretations of the Federal Tort Claims Act effectively bar servicemembers from filing torts claims, even though Congress exempted only “combat-related” injuries. Mr. Turley believes: "This doctrine has done more harm to military personnel and families than any court-made doctrine in the history of this country. Congress must amend the Federal Tort Claims Act to put an end to this disastrous doctrine." He notes that other prominent Supreme Court justices and lower court justices, liberals and conservatives, have denounced the continued use of "The Feres Doctrine."