I am being accused of sexual assault. My military lawyer told me that the local prosecutor is also going to have a Special Victim Prosecutor on the case to help him. What is a Special Victim Prosecutor?

A Special Victim Prosecutor is a military lawyer who has been assigned to prosecute all “special victim” cases in their area of responsibility. A “special victim” case is one that involves an allegation of sexual assault on an adult or a child, an allegation of domestic violence or physical abuse of a child, or allegations surrounding child exploitation or pornography. The Army created the SVP program in the summer of 2009 with 15 positions designated worldwide. That first summer, only seven positions were filled. In the summer of 2010, with the addition of eight more attorneys, all 15 positions were occupied. By the summer of 2012, The Judge Advocate General of the Army designated an additional eight slots, bringing the number of SVPs to 23. Since that time, the Air Force has created its own system but calls their specially trained attorneys “Senior Trial Counsel” and dispatches its STCs regionally to prosecute cases on the various Air Force bases.

In order to serve as an Army SVP, each is required to go through the Career Prosecutor’s Course, the Military Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence / Effective Strategies for Sexual Assault Prosecution, and a civilian internship with a Special Victim Unit. Army SVPs are selected based on courtroom experience and supervisory recommendations.