Sadly, it's time to add another the list: Military justice.
In our armed services, when a sexual assault is reported, verified by investigators, and a suspect is charged, the next step is known as "command discretion" -- the case is reviewed by the accused's commander.
Commanders refer sexual assault cases to court-martial less than one-third of the time. The rest are simply dismissed, not by an expert or a judge -- by the accused's immediate supervisor.
Even if the case is referred to court-martial, the accused can opt for "resignation in lieu" -- you admit guilt, quit the service, all charges are dropped and -- poof! -- you're a civilian again. It's like a confessed bank robber getting an immediate pardon if he says he's sorry and promises to move out of town.
Last year, according to the Dept. of Defense, there were 3192 confirmed/verified reports of sexual assault in the military. If unreported assaults are included, some put last year's number as high as 19,000. From that, only 191 cases ended in a conviction. That's pretty damn lame.
And incredibly, in some cases that end in a trial conviction, the soldier's commanding general can simply overturn the guilty verdict. The guilty-a-minute-ago party can even remain in the service.
It's all very military, but justice it ain't! It's like Groucho said: "Military justice is to real justice as military music is to real music."
For an excellent article on the topic, click the link.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-rape-of-petty-officer-blumer-20130214
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