Army adding lawyers to prosecute sex crimes

Army adding lawyers to prosecute sex crimes
By Pauline Jelinek and Lara Jakes - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 26, 2009 18:54:09 EST

WASHINGTON — The Army said Monday it is expanding its attention to sexual abuse cases by adding prosecutors, rearranging its criminal investigative unit and stepping up training to change behavior.

The moves, which will include sexual assault prevention training from commanders on down through the ranks, are aimed at stemming crimes that Army Secretary Pete Geren called “repugnant to the core values” of the military service.

“We see the crime of sexual assault as a crime that goes beyond just the criminal act,” Geren told reporters at the Pentagon. “We see it as a crime that destroys unit cohesion.”

Last year, an estimated 15 percent of about 9,000 Army investigations involved sexual assault allegations, said Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson. However, only 137 cases went to trial, with many cases involving inappropriate comments or other offenses that were punished by internal disciplinary action instead of criminal charges.

Reports of sexual assaults had jumped by about 24 percent in 2006 and nearly 40 percent in 2005. Officials attributed the increases partly to more aggressive efforts to encourage victims to come forward.

But critics have said they worry that too few perpetrators are being brought to justice and not all victims are being helped.

Geren approved the hiring of 15 new prosecutors and five prosecutor trainers for the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG). The JAG also will hire seven experts in sexual assault litigation training to help prosecutors and train Army lawyers around the world.

The Army Criminal Investigation Command is looking to hire 30 special investigators to focus on sexual assault and harassment cases. Most of the new hires will be assigned to military bases that have the largest number of cases.
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