VWAP Victim Rights and Notifications - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

The crime victim of a military offense holds statutory rights under 18 U.S.C. 3771 (Crime Victims Rights Act). The Law Enforcement VWAC issues DD Form 2701 at first contact per MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Chapter 4 paragraph 040905(A)(1)(b). The trial counsel notifies the victim of the right to seek assistance from a Victims Legal Counsel (VLC) prior to interviews per paragraph 040904(F)(3). The trial counsel issues DD Form 2702 at preferral per paragraph 040904(F)(2), DD Form 2703 at post-conviction per paragraph 040904(F)(10), and completes DD Form 2704 at confinement adjudication per paragraph 040904(F)(11). The unit Victim Witness Assistance Coordinator (VWAC) notifies the victim of NJP disposition decision, time and location, and findings and sentence per paragraph 040401.Y. The confinement facility VWAC issues DD Form 2705 at inmate status change per paragraph 040906(A)(6). The Victims Legal Counsel (VLC) per Volume 4 and 10 U.S.C. 1044e represents the eligible victim in the legal process.

Source documents flow from the offense allegation, the initial law enforcement contact, the trial counsel preferral decision, the VLC referral, the trial milestone schedule, the NJP disposition by the unit commander, the courts-martial verdict and sentence, the confinement adjudication, and the inmate status changes. Outputs include the issued DD Form 2701 at first contact, the DD Form 2702 at preferral, the DD Form 2703 at post-conviction, the DD Form 2704 at confinement adjudication, the DD Form 2705 at status change, the NJP victim notifications under paragraph 040401.Y, the VLC referrals, the victim post-trial submissions per Rule for Courts-Martial 1105, and the audit trail.

Per Chapter 4 paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies victims of: (a) any decision to dispose of an alleged offense at NJP, (b) the time and location of NJP, and (c) the findings and sentence imposed at NJP. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), trial counsel notifies victims of the right to seek assistance from Victims Legal Counsel prior to interviews.

Trigger events

• Crime victim or witness identified at first law enforcement contact.
• Victim interview required by trial counsel triggering VLC right notification.
• Preferral of charges triggering DD Form 2702 issuance.
• NJP disposition decision triggering paragraph 040401.Y notification.
• NJP scheduled triggering time and location notification.
• NJP findings and sentence triggering paragraph 040401.Y notification.
• Trial milestone (Article 32, trial, sentence, post-trial) triggering notification.
• Court-martial conviction triggering DD Form 2703 issuance.
• Court-martial with adjudged confinement triggering DD Form 2704 election.
• Confinement facility status change (release, transfer, escape, parole) triggering DD Form 2705.
• Post-trial action triggering victim submission of matters per Rule for Courts-Martial 1105.

Processing workflow

1. Issue DD Form 2701 at first law enforcement contact. Per MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Chapter 4 paragraph 040905(A)(1)(b), the Law Enforcement VWAC provides DD Form 2701 with installation-specific contact information. The form identifies the statutory victim rights under 18 U.S.C. 3771.
2. Notify victim of VLC right before interviews. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), trial counsel notifies the victim of the right to seek assistance from Victims Legal Counsel before any interview with the victim.
3. Refer eligible victims to VLC. Per Volume 4 and 10 U.S.C. 1044e, the VLC represents the eligible victim in the military justice process.
4. Issue DD Form 2702 at preferral. Per paragraph 040904(F)(2), trial counsel or the LSST VWAC provides DD Form 2702 (Court-Martial Information) and determines the victim's elections as to the rights.
5. Notify at NJP disposition. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies the victim of the decision to dispose of an alleged offense at NJP.
6. Notify at NJP time and location. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies the victim of the time and location of the NJP proceeding.
7. Notify at NJP findings and sentence. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies the victim of the findings and sentence imposed at NJP.
8. Notify at trial milestones. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), trial counsel provides timely notification of trial events and procedural milestones. If the victim is represented by VLC, notifications route through the VLC.
9. Issue DD Form 2703 at post-conviction. Per paragraph 040904(F)(10), at the conclusion of a court-martial resulting in conviction, trial counsel informs the victim of the post-trial process and provides a completed DD Form 2703.
10. Complete DD Form 2704 at confinement adjudication. Per paragraph 040904(F)(11), at the conclusion of every court-martial in which confinement is adjudged, trial counsel completes DD Form 2704 with the victim's election for inmate status notification and provides copies to the confinement facility, victim, and responsible VWACs.
11. Issue DD Form 2705 at inmate status change. Per paragraph 040906(A)(6), the confinement facility VWAC notifies the victim of release, transfer, escape, parole, or custody change at least 45 days prior to status change via certified mail with return receipt (except escape, which notifies telephonically as soon as possible).
12. Support victim post-trial submission. Per Manual for Courts-Martial 2024 Rule for Courts-Martial 1105, the victim of an offense submits matters for the convening authority's consideration at post-trial action.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• Electronic Military Justice Case Management System. Per paragraph 040904(E)(3). Holds all DD Form issuances.
• Law Enforcement Agency Records. Hold DD Form 2701 issuance.
• VLC Records. Per Volume 4. Hold victim consultation records.
• Confinement Facility Records (CORMIS). Per paragraph 040906(A)(5). Hold DD Form 2705 issuance.
• VWAC Files. Hold NJP victim notifications per paragraph 040401.Y.

Forms

• DD Form 2701 Initial Information for Victims and Witnesses. Per paragraph 040905(A)(1)(b).
• DD Form 2702 Court-Martial Information for Victims and Witnesses. Per paragraph 040904(F)(2).
• DD Form 2703 Post-Trial Information for Victims and Witnesses. Per paragraph 040904(F)(10).
• DD Form 2704 Victim and Witness Certification of Notification. Per paragraph 040904(F)(11).
• DD Form 2705 Notification of Inmate Status. Per paragraph 040906(A)(6).
• NJP Victim Notification Memorandum. Per paragraph 040401.Y.
• Victim Post-Trial Submission. Per Rule for Courts-Martial 1105.

Common pitfalls

• DD Form 2701 not issued at first law enforcement contact. Per paragraph 040905(A)(1)(b), the form provides at first contact.
• VLC right not notified before victim interview. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), notification runs prior to interviews.
• DD Form 2702 not provided after preferral. Per paragraph 040904(F)(2), trial counsel or LSST VWAC provides at preferral.
• NJP disposition decision notification skipped. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies of the disposition decision.
• NJP time and location notification skipped. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies of time and location.
• NJP findings and sentence notification skipped. Per paragraph 040401.Y, the VWAC notifies of findings and sentence.
• Notifications not routed through VLC when victim has counsel. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), the VLC carries the channel.
• DD Form 2703 not provided at post-conviction. Per paragraph 040904(F)(10), the form provides at conviction.
• DD Form 2704 not completed at confinement adjudication. Per paragraph 040904(F)(11), the form completes at every court-martial with adjudged confinement.
• DD Form 2705 issued past the 45-day window. Per paragraph 040906(A)(6), the certified mail notification runs at least 45 days prior to status change.
• Victim post-trial submission opportunity not provided. Per Rule for Courts-Martial 1105, the victim of an offense submits matters at post-trial.

Decision points

• DD Form 2701 at first law enforcement contact versus subsequent counseling encounter. Per paragraph 040905(A)(1)(b), law enforcement issues at first contact. Per paragraph 040907(B), MF issues if law enforcement did not.
• VLC referral. The victim elects consultation with the VLC. Per Volume 4, the VLC represents the eligible victim.
• DD Form 2704 inmate notification election. The victim elects on the DD Form 2704 to receive prisoner status change notifications. The election drives the confinement facility's DD Form 2705 issuance.
• Routing through VLC versus direct trial counsel notification. Per paragraph 040904(F)(3), VLC routing applies when the victim has counsel.
• NJP versus court-martial notification scope. The VWAC notifies NJP per paragraph 040401.Y. The trial counsel notifies courts-martial per paragraph 040904(F).

Authority

This sub-page sits under MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Chapter 4 paragraphs 040401.Y (NJP Victim Notifications), 040904(F)(2), (F)(3), (F)(10), (F)(11) (Trial Counsel Notifications and Forms), 040905(A)(1)(b) (Law Enforcement First Contact DD Form 2701), and 040906(A)(6) (Confinement Facility DD Form 2705). MCO 5800.16 Volume 4 covers the Victims Legal Counsel Organization. 18 U.S.C. 3771 (Crime Victims Rights Act) sets statutory victim rights identified on DD Form 2701. 10 U.S.C. 1044e covers Special Victims Counsel. Manual for Courts-Martial 2024 Rule for Courts-Martial 1105 covers victim submission of matters at post-trial. The IGMC VWAP FA Checklist Sections 04.0 (Legal Community), 05.0 (Law Enforcement), 06.0 (Corrections), 08.0 (Unit Commanders), and 09.0 (VWAC) audit rights and notification compliance.

Related references

• MCO 5800.16 Chapter 4 paragraphs 040401.Y, 040904, 040905, 040906. Notification framework.
• MCO 5800.16 Volume 4 and 10 U.S.C. 1044e. VLC and Special Victims Counsel.
• 18 U.S.C. 3771. Crime Victims Rights Act.
• Manual for Courts-Martial 2024 Rule for Courts-Martial 1105. Victim post-trial submission.
• DD Forms 2701-2705. VWAP standard forms.
• IGMC VWAP FA Checklist Sections 04.0, 05.0, 06.0, 08.0, 09.0. Audit baseline.