DAWN HANKINS: To what extent does a victim really have standing in a criminal case? The case would not be heard but for the fact that there was a victim of a crime.
JEFFREY ROCKWELL: Somewhere along the way, we've not given them a voice. Our victims' counsel are stepping up and saying, "My client has a right to be heard."
DAWN HANKINS: The Air Force created the Special Victims' Counsel Program to provide victims of sexual assault with their own attorney...
WOMAN: Special Victims' Counsel, this is...
DAWN HANKINS: ...that would assist them throughout both the investigation and the prosecution process.
DUSTIN KOUBA: We're really there to give our clients advice, advocacy and empowerment in a confidential setting.
DAWN HANKINS: As soon as a victim reports that they are a victim of a sexual assault, then they are notified that they can request the assistance of a special victims' counsel.
DUSTIN KOUBA: It's really about giving them a professional that can help them through the process and then helping with that resiliency, empowering them to feel like they're a part of the system, which they are.
DAWN HANKINS: We initiated the program in January of last year, in 2013, and since program inception we've represented over 720 victims of sex assaults.
DUSTIN KOUBA: Overwhelmingly, I'm getting positive feedback from my clients, saying, "Thank you so much for being there for me. I couldn't have done this without you."
DAWN HANKINS: One of the things that we're hoping for with the SVC program is really to increase the trust and confidence that sex assault victims can have in the military justice system. You never know what you're capable of until you're faced with a challenge. And so I am so incredibly impressed with the young captains that have stepped up to the plate to be special victims' counsel.
JEFFREY ROCKWELL: Colonel Hankins and her team did a fantastic job, and Secretary Hagel recognized that and he said, "Okay, look at this nucleus of a program, make it work for all victims."
DAWN HANKINS: And I'm so incredibly proud of the great work that they're doing for their clients and really for the Air Force and for the military as a whole.
