Well, often real - life cases inspire the storylines. The writers might read about a particular crime in the news, like a sexual assault case with unique circumstances. They then take elements of that and fictionalize it for the show. For example, they might change the location, the names of the characters involved, but keep the core aspects of the crime like the type of assault and how it was carried out.
They're incorporated by using real - life crime trends. If there's an increase in a certain type of sexual offense in a particular area, the show might create a story based on that. The show also might draw on real - life legal issues that come up in these types of cases, such as problems with evidence collection or witness testimony. It's all about taking the real - world situation and making it into an engaging TV story.
The showrunners and writers of Law and Order SVU are constantly researching real - life stories. They look at historical cases as well as current events. They might interview people involved in the criminal justice system, like detectives or lawyers, to get a better understanding of how these cases really play out. Then they blend all of this knowledge together to create the storylines we see on the show. For instance, a real - life case where a victim was retraumatized during the trial process could be turned into an episode where the SVU team has to fight for the victim's rights in court.