Staten Island Advance: Seeking sexual justice: A dilemma for America’s armed forces
An editorial from the Staten Island Advance supports Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement Act:
But the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff oppose assigning independent military prosecutors to make initial decisions on cases, even those of sexual assault.
They believe such an unprecedented change in the military’s chain of command would undermine order and discipline in the armed forces.
Yet the military’s policy of zero tolerance of sexual wrongdoing has failed. It is acknowledge by the top brass that many such crimes go unreported because of the reluctance of victims to step forward.
Assigning independent and impartial military prosecutors to decide on the merit of sending those cases to trial would instill new confidence in military justice.
