Teresa P. Scalzo, Esq.

Teresa P. Scalzo, former Deputy Director at the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps’ (JAG) Trial Assistance Program is recognized for her dedication to holding offenders accountable, achieving justice for victims, and improving the criminal justice response to crimes at all levels of government. 

Ms. Scalzo passed away on May 23, 2016, following a courageous battle with cancer. 

Ms. Scalzo was a highly regarded national expert that provided technical assistance and training to prosecutors to elevate their awareness of and commitment to the rights of victims, and her innovative practices have been widely adopted throughout the criminal justice system. She spent much of her professional life advocating for the legal rights of victims when they were unable to fight for themselves. 

As Chief of the Sexual Assault Unit in the District Attorney’s Office in Northampton County, (Pennsylvania) Ms. Scalzo designed and implemented a sexual assault protocol, created a training program for law enforcement, and wrote a manual on conducting preliminary hearings. As the Director of the National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women at the American Prosecutors Research Institute, Ms. Scalzo designed and delivered litigation training with a focus on the prosecution of violence against women to show prosecutors how they could identify important evidence, evaluate complex cases, corroborate statements, and support victims throughout the process. 

Ms. Scalzo also oversaw the development of several national training curricula, served as a mentor and helped identify other prosecution leaders to serve as mentors for the field, and developed numerous resources still used today such as a manual on Prosecuting Alcohol-Facilitated Sexual Assault. 

At the time of her death, Ms. Scalzo served as the Navy’s foremost expert on sexual assault prosecution. As Deputy Director at the Navy JAG Trial Assistance Program, she consulted on and assisted with prosecution of sexual assault cases. She was also responsible for developing and implementing policy and guidance, and facilitating training on military justice and the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault.