Reply #54: Rape is a horrible crime! That's not my point! [View All]

[aaaaaa5a]

My point is falsely accusing someone of rape is also terrible. And it happens more often than you might think. I don't know what anyone here does for a living, but early in my career I worked closely with Police officers. And anyone who is non-political and works in a sexual assault unit will tell you that false rape accusations are far more frequent than the general public realizes.

This doesn't mean rape doesn't occur. It doesn't mean it's not a serious crime. But it does mean there are mistakes. And people are wrongly accused and convicted. And in this sad case, a man died in jail because he was falsely accused of rape. That's my only point. It is relevant to the story.

Below is just a small sampling of this topic. The links include studies from universities, law reviews etc. They include comments from prominent prosecutors who are considered experts on the topic. To be fair, some experts but the false accusation rate at around 25%. But one credible study from Purdue University which is sited below had it at 50%. And ironically that's the same number I was told by law enforcement.

Regardless of where the number actual stands, clearly, false accusations are an issue. And in at least one case we all know of, it cost one man his freedom.


If you want some specific cases on the issue just let me know.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194032,00.html


Here's a link to another study on false rape accusations.

http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2003/0722.html

If you don't want to read the whole article, the "heart of the study is below.

According to a study conducted by Eugene Kanin of Purdue University, the correct figure may rise to the 40 percent range. Kanin examined 109 rape complaints registered in a Midwestern city from 1978 to 1987. Of these, 45 were ultimately classified by the police as "false." Also based on police records, Kanin determined that 50 percent of the rapes reported at two major universities were "false."


Here is another report citing some studies on the topic. Again the report is long so if you don't want to read the entire article, the primary points are below.

http://www.billoblog.com/billoblog/?p=134

In 1985, a study of 556 rape allegations found that 27% accusers recanted when faced with a polygraph (which can be ordered in the military), and independent evaluation showed a false accusation rate of 60%. (McDowell, Charles P., Ph.D. “False Allegations.” Forensic Science Digest, (publication of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations), Vol. 11, No. 4 (December 1985), p. 64.)

---------snip---------------

A “Washington Post� investigation of rape reports in seven Virginia and Maryland counties in 1990 and 1991 found that nearly one in four were unfounded. When contacted by the Post, many of the alleged victims admitted that they had lied.

It is true, of course, that not every accuser who recants had accused falsely. But it is also true that some who do not recant were not telling the truth.

According to a 1996 Department of Justice Report, of the roughly 10,000 sexual assault cases analyzed with DNA evidence over the previous seven years, 2,000 excluded the primary suspect, and another 2,000 were inconclusive. The report notes that these figures mirror an informal National Institute of Justice survey of private laboratories, and suggests that there exists “some strong, underlying systemic problems that generate erroneous accusations and convictions.”

That false allegations are a major problem has been confirmed by several prominent prosecutors, including Linda Fairstein, who heads the New York County District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Unit. Fairstein, the author of “Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape,â€? says, “there are about 4,000 reports of rape each year in Manhattan. Of these, about half simply did not happen.”

Craig Silverman, a former Colorado prosecutor known for his zealous prosecution of rapists during his 16-year career, says that false rape accusations occur with “scary frequency.” As a regular commentator on the Bryant trial for Denver’s ABC affiliate, Silverman noted that “any honest veteran sex assault investigator will tell you that rape is one of the most falsely reported crimes.” According to Silverman, a Denver sex-assault unit commander estimates that nearly half of all reported rape claims are false.