Talking Points Memo: Military Commanders Have Already Failed Assault Victims — Why Trust Them Again?
Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish writes an op-ed for Talking Points Memo:
Each of these cases clearly illustrates that commanders trust their own biased point of view over that of the judge and jury who actually sit through the trials, listen to the witness and are in the best position to evaluate the facts and who is telling the truth. They evidently do not trust or value the expertise of the prosecution, military judges, and even the court members (jurors) they nominate. Yet, somehow our military justice system is currently structured so that they have the authority to stop or overturn the process at each stage from beginning to end.
The process must be amended to allow the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication to be conducted by independent, trained, and experienced professionals, all outside of the suspect’s conflicted and often biased chain of command.
