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    Raleigh native joins innovative advocacy efforts in the U.S. Navy for victims of sexual assault

    UNITED STATES

    04.01.2017

    Story by Natalie Morehouse 

    U.S. Navy JAG Corps

    April marks sexual assault awareness and prevention month and the military has focused much effort on its prevention and care for victims of sexual assault. One program lauded as an innovative approach to victim support is the U.S. Navy’s Victims’ Legal Counsel Program.

    Lt. Robert A. McRight, a military lawyer with the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was chosen as one of the Navy’s Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC) in Naples, Italy to carry-on this program. McRight provides legal services to eligible victims of sexual offenses, including assistance and advocacy in the investigative and military justice processes. The VLC Program became fully operational on Jan. 1, 2014 and now consists of 33 specially trained judge advocates in 25 fleet locations around the world.

    McRight began his career as a legal assistance and defense attorney onboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida before receiving orders to Millington, Tennessee as a Staff Judge Advocate to Navy Personnel Command. Since 2015 McRight has worked in Naples, Italy as a prosecutor before being personally selected by the Judge Advocate General of the Navy to serve as Victim Legal Counsel in the same region beginning March of this year.

    “The Navy is committed to protecting the rights and interests of victims of sexual assault and ensuring the administration of a fair, transparent and efficient military justice system that guarantees due process for the accused and promotes good order and discipline,” said Vice Adm. James Crawford III, Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

    The Navy implemented the VLC Program to offer a military attorney to represent and assist victims of sexual offenses. VLC assist victims with legal decisions; represent them in military courts; advocate on their behalf to investigators, commanders, and prosecutors; and provide other legal advice and assistance connected to the sexual offense. VLC operate independently and are not within the chain of command of the offender, the victim or prosecutors. Since the Program’s inception, Navy VLC have assisted more than 2,780 victims around the world (as of April 2017).

    “Ultimately it’s about giving voice and choice to folks who have been harmed,” said McRight.

    The VLC Program helps victims understand the investigative and military justice processes, which can sometimes become overwhelming to a victim.

    “Having an attorney, an advocate, to speak for the victim’s interests goes a long way to making the process seem a little less overwhelming. That matters to victims choosing to participate or not which in turn matters to getting just outcomes in and out of court,” said McRight.

    McRight is making an impact on the world as a Navy lawyer.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.01.2017
    Date Posted: 04.17.2017 13:30
    Story ID: 230596
    Location: US
    Hometown: RALEIGH, NC, US

    Web Views: 117
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN