Friday
Mar062009
Marine Corps - “Victims of sexual assault are entitled to our support”
Friday, March 6, 2009 at 2:19PM
By Suzia Van Swol - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service and Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News
The House Armed Forces Subcommittee held a Military Personnel hearing, today, on “Sexual Assault in the Military: Prevention.”
The subcommittee heard testimony from Carolyn Collins, program manger of the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program, Raymond Bruneau, manager of the Marine Corps’ Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program; Katherine Robertson, deputy manager of the Navy Installation Command’s Counseling, Advocacy and Prevention Program and Charlene Bradley, assistant deputy for the force management integration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Prevention and Response Office.
This was one in a series of hearings that this subcommittee will conduct on the subject of sexual assault in the military, this year. The hearing today focused on Prevention Programs that are currently in place.
Chairwoman Susan Davis (D-CA) said: “Just as we have the responsibility to ensure that victims of a sexual assault receive all the support that can be provided following an attack, we also have an obligation to do all we can to prevent such attacks from ever taking place. The Department of Defense has made significant improvements in recent years, but the question we need to ask is, has enough been done?”
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) asked the witnesses whether and why the question “do women belong in the military” was still an issue and stated that this needed to be addressed. She said there needs to be a “change in cultural attitudes” towards woman in the military, and more “effective laws.”
The prevention and after-care systems that were identified by the panel seemed focused on the woman; offering counseling for victims. There was no evidence of rehabilitation programs in place for the men who commit this offense.
Mr. Bruneau said: “People are our most important resource. Marines have a long history of taking care of their own. Which means that we do not intentionally harm one another. Nor, do we leave a comrade behind. Victims of sexual assault are entitled to our support and care and deserve to be returned to the fight as fully functioning marines. The marines as always, are committed to caring for their own, as it’s the right thing to do.”
The subcommittee showed three videos by the witnesses that have been created by and for the military in an attempt to highlight the serious nature of sexually criminal behavior.
The House Armed Forces Subcommittee held a Military Personnel hearing, today, on “Sexual Assault in the Military: Prevention.”
The subcommittee heard testimony from Carolyn Collins, program manger of the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program, Raymond Bruneau, manager of the Marine Corps’ Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program; Katherine Robertson, deputy manager of the Navy Installation Command’s Counseling, Advocacy and Prevention Program and Charlene Bradley, assistant deputy for the force management integration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Prevention and Response Office.
This was one in a series of hearings that this subcommittee will conduct on the subject of sexual assault in the military, this year. The hearing today focused on Prevention Programs that are currently in place.
Chairwoman Susan Davis (D-CA) said: “Just as we have the responsibility to ensure that victims of a sexual assault receive all the support that can be provided following an attack, we also have an obligation to do all we can to prevent such attacks from ever taking place. The Department of Defense has made significant improvements in recent years, but the question we need to ask is, has enough been done?”
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) asked the witnesses whether and why the question “do women belong in the military” was still an issue and stated that this needed to be addressed. She said there needs to be a “change in cultural attitudes” towards woman in the military, and more “effective laws.”
The prevention and after-care systems that were identified by the panel seemed focused on the woman; offering counseling for victims. There was no evidence of rehabilitation programs in place for the men who commit this offense.
Mr. Bruneau said: “People are our most important resource. Marines have a long history of taking care of their own. Which means that we do not intentionally harm one another. Nor, do we leave a comrade behind. Victims of sexual assault are entitled to our support and care and deserve to be returned to the fight as fully functioning marines. The marines as always, are committed to caring for their own, as it’s the right thing to do.”
The subcommittee showed three videos by the witnesses that have been created by and for the military in an attempt to highlight the serious nature of sexually criminal behavior.
Helping Prisoners Re-enter The Community Successfully
The House Appropriations Committee held a Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee hearing today on “What Works for Successful Prisoner Re-entry.”
Speaking before the committee were Representative Danny Davis (D-Ill), Professor James Byrne, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at University of Massachusetts, Lowell and Jeremy Travis, President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Chairman Alan Mollohan (D-WV) said: “It’s becoming more and more apparent that effective reentry programs are the key to reducing recidivism and the strains on our communities and prison resources associated with recidivism.”
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) asked the witnesses whether there was “any other country that is doing something really great, that we’re not aware of?”
Professor Byrne suggested looking at the model used in the Republic of Ireland. “I went to a prison in Dublin last year...I was amazed by the work programs...there was 320 people in the prison and every one of them had work and a job, they had a job training program there. The first thing I noticed was the one to one ratio of inmates to guards, I was shocked at that.”
Mr. Travis expanded on this point stating: “America stand apart from the rest of the Western world, worse, in terms of our levels of incarceration, how we treat people while they are in prison and the approach to reintegration.” Mr. Travis suggested that America look at reintegration strategies used in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Congressman Davis said: “Half the people in prison are due to drug related crimes.”
Talking about what should be done now Mr. Travis said: “We don’t link drug treatment, we should make sure that people who have drug addiction and are coming back home, that they go to the head of the list rather than the back of the list for drug treatment. Why do we send someone home and tell them to wait five months for drug treatment, when we knew what date they were coming out and could have planned it so they’d have the continuity at this high risk period.”