HOw do you feel about false rape accusations

[ccgirl]

This happened to an acquaintance of ours. His teen-aged daughter's "friend" accused him. He was arrested, lost his job, his children, friends, spent thousands of dollars in legal fees, and ended up losing his home. Right before the trial the girl admitted she made the whole thing up as she was mad at the daughter because she was talking to a boy she liked.

That is just unfathomable! I sincerely hope that man got some of his life back. Very sad.

 

[SandrA9810]

Shortly before I left florida, there was some women crying rape at Lake Eola or some other popular park. After a couple weeks search, they found the "man in question", and he said the only thing he said to her was that she looked pretty. The police then found out she made the whole thing up, and the courts were going to press charges against her for false report.
At least the guy didn't go through a whole lot, but it still sucks that he paid her a compliment and that's what he got out of it.

It's still annoying to listen to boys saying "my friend likes you, or my friend thinks your hot". Come on, they're immature idiots, but I'm not going to hold a grudge against them for being stupid.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

Again, as sad as those stories are to see, let's look at the statistics:

Sexual Assault Prevalence
1.3 women (ages 18 and over) in the United States are forcibly raped each minute. That translates to 78 per hour, 1,871 per day, or 683,000 per year.
D.G. Kilpatrick, C.N. Edmunds, & A. Seymour. 1992. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington VA: National Victim Center.

Reporting

Rape is called the most under-reported violent crime in America.

Only 16% of rapes are ever reported to the police. In a survey of victims who did not report rape or attempted rape to the police, the following was found as to why no report was made: 43% thought nothing could be done, 27% felt it was a private matter, 12% were afraid of police response, and 12% felt it was not important enough.
Kilpatrick et al., 1992.

In the United States, a rape is reported every five minutes.
FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1997.

60% of the women who reported being raped were under 18 years old
29% were less than 11 years old
32% were between 11 and 17
22% were between 18 and 24
7% were between 25 and 29
6% were older than 29
3% age was not available
Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, National Victim Center, 1992.

Perpetrators
Only 2% of rapists are convicted and imprisoned.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee: Conviction and Imprisonment Statistics, 1993.

http://www.rapetraumaservices.org/rape-sexual-assault.html

So, excuse me if I still feel that the MUCH larger pool of victims should be a bigger focus of outrage and sympathy.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

While I completely agree that if it is proven a girl lied there should be punishment, my fear is how we would prove it. The man you accused was found not guilty? Then go to jail! If that happened, I could see the reporting rate dropping even lower, I know I wouldn't want to report if I thought I would go to jail because somebody didn't believe me. The burden of proof would have to be very high I think.

 

[PaulaSB12]

While I completely agree that if it is proven a girl lied there should be punishment, my fear is how we would prove it. The man you accused was found not guilty? Then go to jail! If that happened, I could see the reporting rate dropping even lower, I know I wouldn't want to report if I thought I would go to jail because somebody didn't believe me. The burden of proof would have to be very high I think.

In several cases in the uk there was evidence that no sex had occurred with one girl who claimed she had been raped was found to still be a virgin!

 

[MoniqueU]

I think they should charge false accusers extremely harshly. Look at what those Duke Lacrosse players went through. At least they got their names back and some compensation but think of all the innocent guys out there that don't and have their lives ruined forever.

 

[FireDancer]

While I completely agree that if it is proven a girl lied there should be punishment, my fear is how we would prove it. The man you accused was found not guilty? Then go to jail! If that happened, I could see the reporting rate dropping even lower, I know I wouldn't want to report if I thought I would go to jail because somebody didn't believe me. The burden of proof would have to be very high I think.

There would still be a trial for the false accuser in that situation, they wouldn't just be assigned guilt without one. The same burden of proof needed for all other crimes would still have to be met by the prosecution and decided by a jury (absent a plea bargain).

 

[dsanner106]

Sorry, but I can't excuse innocent people going to prison, particularly when it is through malicious lies. The idea that innocent men should go to prison and be denied their rights because OTHER people commit crimes and get away with it is ridiculous. Sure the other guilty people should have gone to prison, sure the 84 percent of women who chose not to report their assault should have. That is no reason to ignore innocent victims simply because they are male.

D

Again, as sad as those stories are to see, let's look at the statistics:

Sexual Assault Prevalence
1.3 women (ages 18 and over) in the United States are forcibly raped each minute. That translates to 78 per hour, 1,871 per day, or 683,000 per year.
D.G. Kilpatrick, C.N. Edmunds, & A. Seymour. 1992. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington VA: National Victim Center.

Reporting

Rape is called the most under-reported violent crime in America.

Only 16% of rapes are ever reported to the police. In a survey of victims who did not report rape or attempted rape to the police, the following was found as to why no report was made: 43% thought nothing could be done, 27% felt it was a private matter, 12% were afraid of police response, and 12% felt it was not important enough.
Kilpatrick et al., 1992.

In the United States, a rape is reported every five minutes.
FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1997.

60% of the women who reported being raped were under 18 years old
29% were less than 11 years old
32% were between 11 and 17
22% were between 18 and 24
7% were between 25 and 29
6% were older than 29
3% age was not available
Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, National Victim Center, 1992.

Perpetrators
Only 2% of rapists are convicted and imprisoned.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee: Conviction and Imprisonment Statistics, 1993.

http://www.rapetraumaservices.org/rape-sexual-assault.html

So, excuse me if I still feel that the MUCH larger pool of victims should be a bigger focus of outrage and sympathy.

 

[declansdad]

And the example of this"

I remember the incident that happened at Disney back in 2006. A female cast member said she was attacked and raped by a group of foreign cast members at their apartment complex. I remember the thread posted in here and many many were screaming for their heads or it seemed that way.
Turned out....she lied, she was an active participant. The thread just kinda died after that. Sort of like "oh it turned out she lied?, never mind then"
There wasnt that same rage over her trying to ruin these young men.

is this:

I can't believe you got away clean with this comment. 1. He's as guilty as OJ and 2. your analogy is disgusting.

 

[declansdad]

So, excuse me if I still feel that the MUCH larger pool of victims should be a bigger focus of outrage and sympathy.

All victims should be our focus and the rapists/liars should feel our outrage and be punished.

IMO, that was a sad statement to make.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

While that is truly a horrifying story, I worry more about how many guilty men are NOT in prison and are free to harm women and children again and again.

If I absolutely had to choose, I would always rather see the guilty go free than the innocent be convicted. Why do we only worry about the guilty men who are free to hurt women and children? What about the guilty women who are doing the same thing?

All victims should be our focus and the rapists/liars should feel our outrage and be punished.

IMO, that was a sad statement to make.

Well said.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

All victims should be our focus and the rapists/liars should feel our outrage and be punished.

IMO, that was a sad statement to make.

An appropriate statement considering a poster suggested that unless DNA is present rape should not be prosecuted. Again, I understand that people have a habit of ignoring parts of posts, I fully said that I sympathize with innocent people accused of crimes and the stories are sad. But, my sympathy is not at the expense of a much larger pool of victims of much more violent crimes than their reputations being harmed as several have indicated.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

This is such a tough situation. Rape IMHO is one of the most difficult crimes to prosecute anyway. In your typical aquaintance rape DNA doesn't even help. It's just a he said, she said on whether or not it was voluntary.
How the heck is a jury supposed to decide? Since the legal standard is "beyond a reasonable doubt" how can a jury ever decide that one person is lying with enough certainty to convict?
The stakes are huge, a man convicted of rape and sent to prison is a likely candidate for being raped himself.
How does a victim feel after being assaulted and then her attacker is found not guilty?
I have no answers to any of this just recognize what a difficult, painful and impossible situation it is.....

 

[snarlingcoyote]

William Blackstone wrote that "it is better to let 9 guilty men free than to convict one innocent man." This principle is inherent in our judicial system, and I think if we stray from it, we stray from the moral path our country chose to follow at its inception.

I cannot condone any sort of fearmongering or righteous zealotry that would lead to less rigorous standards being placed on the proof of guilty for any crime, no matter what the nature of that crime. Such a thing would lead to the conviction of innocent men, and, as a body of people, are then guilty of the crime of false imprisonment and, at times, of murder.

History is full of the examples of people who have chosen to convict the innocent, and those people are usually mentioned in the annuls of the damned, not the registers of the saints.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

William Blackstone wrote that "it is better to let 9 guilty men free than to convict one innocent man." This principle is inherent in our judicial system, and I think if we stray from it, we stray from the moral path our country chose to follow at its inception.

I cannot condone any sort of fearmongering or righteous zealotry that would lead to less rigorous standards being placed on the proof of guilty for any crime, no matter what the nature of that crime. Such a thing would lead to the conviction of innocent men, and, as a body of people, are then guilty of the crime of false imprisonment and, at times, of murder.

History is full of the examples of people who have chosen to convict the innocent, and those people are usually mentioned in the annuls of the damned, not the registers of the saints.

And hospitals are full of women who have been raped and beaten within an inch of their lives. The idea that a rapist should be allowed to get off simply by using a condom is abhorrent to me -- and offensive to rape victims across the world. When you look at recidivism rates for convicted rapists, the numbers are scary enough. Now add in the ones that got away with the crime. Truly frightening.

No one wants innocent people in jail. Although I will have to believe that Blackstone didn't envision DNA being required for convictions in the 1700s when he made the statement. DNA is but one piece of evidence in a case. Relying on it solely should never be the rule.

 

[starlionblue]

There would be other evidentiary damage to the female besides semen.

I agree.

It's the ugly side of the DIS. I try not to pay attention to it, but it's here just the same. The mob mentality is never pretty.

You need to read a lot about how easily rapists get away with their crimes. Sometimes, DNA, semen, and even witnesses aren't enough to convict them. And while we're on this subject, what should be the punishment? Six months give or take. After all, a lot of rapists who ARE guilty and were convicted in court are frequently paroled or given a slap on the wrist. Take the case of Melvin Carter. He was suspected in over ONE HUNDRED rapes and was CONVICTED of quite a few of them. His punishment? Probation. Another was the mass rapist Gilbert Escobido. He was convicted of several rapes but the police believe (from his methods) that he may have raped as many as 50 women. He is out on parole. Rape is sometimes not treated like a crime in this country. It's not my opinion, it's the truth. The Jodie Foster movie "The Accused" is a true story. The rapists in the trial got away with their crimes so she never got justice.

 

[Carly_Roach]

William Blackstone wrote that "it is better to let 9 guilty men free than to convict one innocent man." This principle is inherent in our judicial system, and I think if we stray from it, we stray from the moral path our country chose to follow at its inception.

I cannot condone any sort of fearmongering or righteous zealotry that would lead to less rigorous standards being placed on the proof of guilty for any crime, no matter what the nature of that crime. Such a thing would lead to the conviction of innocent men, and, as a body of people, are then guilty of the crime of false imprisonment and, at times, of murder.

History is full of the examples of people who have chosen to convict the innocent, and those people are usually mentioned in the annuls of the damned, not the registers of the saints.

Excellent post.

You need to read a lot about how easily rapists get away with their crimes. Sometimes, DNA, semen, and even witnesses aren't enough to convict them. And while we're on this subject, what should be the punishment? Six months give or take. After all, a lot of rapists who ARE guilty and were convicted in court are frequently paroled or given a slap on the wrist. Take the case of Melvin Carter. He was suspected in over ONE HUNDRED rapes and was CONVICTED of quite a few of them. His punishment? Probation. Another was the mass rapist Gilbert Escobido. He was convicted of several rapes but the police believe (from his methods) that he may have raped as many as 50 women. He is out on parole. Rape is sometimes not treated like a crime in this country. It's not my opinion, it's the truth. The Jodie Foster movie "The Accused" is a true story. The rapists in the trial got away with their crimes so she never got justice.

And you need to be aware of how much fear-mongering and ax-grinding material is out there and adjust your perception accordingly. Even the statistics posted upthread were from 10 years ago.

I'm fully aware of how difficult or easy it is to convict a rapist. But I'm also fully aware of how many times an accusation is dropped when the female realizes that her BF or acquaintance will not only do time but will have to register as a sexual offender for the rest of their lives simply because she chose to sleep with him, then changed her mind and consented, then changed her mind again because she said no once, then changed her mind again because she thought it would be fun, then changed her mind again because she was drunk so the consent she gave couldn't possibly be accepted, etc, etc, etc.

I am in no way, shape or form condoning the act of rape; it is a crime of violence and control. However, like calling CPS simply because you see a parent spanking their child, I believe the charges of rape are too easily leveled that are based on perception rather than actual reality.

In nearly all of the true rape cases I'm aware of (and I'm aware of many), there were either obvious signs of struggle and physical damage to the woman. It would have taken more than a condom to cover the bruises on her body and other physical evidence. But I'm just as aware of the amount of "rape" cases where the woman changed her mind (for whatever reason) about her level of consent after she'd participated in the act.

 

[declansdad]

An appropriate statement considering a poster suggested that unless DNA is present rape should not be prosecuted. Again, I understand that people have a habit of ignoring parts of posts, I fully said that I sympathize with innocent people accused of crimes and the stories are sad. But, my sympathy is not at the expense of a much larger pool of victims of much more violent crimes than their reputations being harmed as several have indicated.

What you said has nothing to do with the poster who said DNA should be present. There is no need for you to weigh your sympathies for one group over the other. Both are victims and the people that caused them hard deserve to be punished harshly.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Can you say Ben Roethlisberger - he's got screwed (no pun intended) by false accusations.

I am not saying nothing happened in his case - but if you climb in the cage with a lion to pet it and get a picture with it and then it bites you don't complain.

Are you talking about the girls, or Ben? Because in Ben's case, that saying works both ways.

With his money and fame, and the fact that he puts himself out there partying, drinking and maybe much more, then he will continue to be a target.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Huh. And here I thought that partying and drinking were completely legal once you reached the age of 21. And if he is innocent, saying that he deserves to be targeted because of who he is and what he was doing is akin to saying that the woman wearing the short skirt and dancing suggestively deserves to be raped.