Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention

rdf:langString Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention

rdf:langString SHARP is a proactive U.S. Army program which aims to end sexual harassment and assault in the service. Sexual harassment is a crime in the armed forces, under the UCMJ Article 134 by executive order on 26 January 2022. Those accused of a crime such as sexual harassment,or assault are subject to the UCMJ (or to civil statute). Victims of such crimes are protected from disciplinary action, or prosecution by Army Directive as of 2022. A Special Trial Counsel, part of the Judge Advocate General's Corps has been established to combat harmful behaviors, in order to conduct independent prosecutions. SHARP has full-time staff at the brigade level and higher, and maintains a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. See: SAPRO Since 2005, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on the program. The Army is redesigning this Program as of 2021. Department of the Army Civilians (DACs) are also protected under SHARP as of September 2021. Army regulation AR 600-20 details the responsibilities of the Commanders of the respective units in the event of Sexual Harassment/Assault, as well as the expected response and/or prevention steps. In 2021, the NDAA for 2022 provided for independent prosecutors offices in each branch of the service. Legislation in 2021, had previously intended to separate the commander of an afflicted unit from the military prosecutor's role in cases alleging sexual assault. Commanders at the FORSCOM, III Corps, and §Fort Hood levels now have specific actions to complete upon a Sexual Assault Review Board complaint. CID is being restructured: a civilian director reporting directly to the secretary of the Army will oversee criminal probes; Forts Hood, Carson, and Bragg will be the first posts to implement the reorganization. The Provost Marshal and the Military Police will no longer undertake criminal investigations. A new branch like those in the Air Force and Navy for Special Agents will be instituted. FORSCOM now requires the selection of investigating officers from outside an installation's brigade-sized element, which is processing a complaint, effective 27 December 2023. A two-star general was reprimanded in 2021 for conducting a SHARP investigation internally, rather than turning the investigation over to CID. See Unlawful command influence