Special Victims' Counsel opens base office Published March 13, 2015 By Amy Rollins Skywrighter Staff WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force Special Victims' Counsel Program provides an attorney to advocate on behalf of sexual assault victims and enables judge advocates to assert their clients' rights both in and out of court. The SVC program, the first of its kind within the Department of Defense, was established in 2013. Standing up Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's SVC office is Capt. Carolyn Carmody, who is currently working in the Arnold House, Bldg. 8, Area A, 5082 Wright Ave. She calls the SVC program "groundbreaking" and a program that's not necessarily seen within the civilian jurisdiction. Carmody is assigned to a client similarly to how an area defense counsel is assigned. "I'm assigned and detailed to represent certain people, such as a victim of some type of eligible category of sexual assault or some type of sexual abuse. At all times I represent the victim through their process, empowering them, giving them a voice and advocating for them throughout the entire process," she said. Wright-Patterson AFB falls under the Andrews region, so Carmody's client base extends beyond the base and may be extended around the world - even in locations where the United States doesn't necessarily have jurisdiction. Carmody cross-trained into the judge advocate general career field, having first served as a logistics readiness officer for three years. After attending law school at the University of Georgia - she is a huge "Bulldogs" and SEC fan, she said - she and her family were based at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, while she worked in the military justice division of the base legal office. They moved to Wright-Patterson AFB in January. Her husband, Michael, is an acquisitions program manager on base. Like all SVCs, she is a fully licensed judge advocate with the experience of several assignments. Carmody is enthusiastic about her new role and how the SVC assists sexual assault victims. "The military has recognized that crime happens and when you have crime, you often have victims and witnesses. Such crime rarely occurs in a vacuum where it doesn't harm anyone," she said. While the base's Legal Office coordinates the Victim and Witness Assistance Program, the SVC concentrates on representing the victims of sexual assault and their privacy interests. The SVC office at Wright-Patterson AFB is co-located with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Office, but they are completely separate programs. The SVC falls outside of the chain of command at Wright-Patterson AFB. Carmody's chain of command follows a group of attorneys based at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The SVC can represent a different group of clients than the SAPR office, including children and survivors of domestic sexual assault. However, like the SAPR office, Carmody also can represent clients who come with restricted reports and assist them in getting the care and medical attention they need while not necessarily opening up an investigation and ending up in any kind of public setting. "It depends on the survivor and what it is that they would like to see in the process," she said. Her services are free and offer the confidentiality of attorney/client privilege. "All communications are confidential," she said. "I can act as a sounding board in many ways, and those conversations can never go anywhere." This enables her to represent her client while allowing the client to discuss a vast array of possible situations. She emphasized how broad the SVC program is and how its advocacy extends beyond the confines of the court martial process. She can, for instance, communicate with local agencies to obtain financial support for a client or work with a commander to develop a safety plan for a victim. She can accompany clients to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, for example, or to a state court in some circumstances. "Giving survivors a voice and empowering them in the process is what we do," Carmody said.