Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Whatever the percentage of false claims is, I wish there were a foolproof way to prevent it. I'm not a Mike Pence fan, but I always found his "never alone with a woman" principle to be a wise one. I think men need to do all they can to protect themselves from even the possibility of such an accusation, just as I think women need to protect themselves from situations where they could easily be raped (obvious dangers like jogging alone at night, for example). And as extreme as it seems, maybe two people about to have consensual sex should sign something saying it is consensual. Crazy, I know, but accusations of rape can be hard to prove or disprove.
Meanwhile a false accusation lasts a whole lot longer than 1 year for the accused. Sometimes even after the name is cleared and the accuser is discredited.
I know someone who was falsely accused of child molesting, coached by a relative as part of some inter-family battle over soon to be inheritance property. The stigma stuck with him for years and years, people stopped talking to him, people would not allow their kids to be near him at the church he went to, etc. He moved from the small town years later and started fresh, plus time kind of put it away and the fact there was no Internet back then.
The relative was never charged, just a pitiful "sorry, but you deserved it" was all that happened.
Some state either started or talked about a law making it so that the penalties for filing a false report were commiserate with the penalties for the crime they were accusing someone of.
So, you file a false report for rape, you face sentencing minimums and maximums that the wrongly accused would have faced.
Sounds like a pretty dang good idea to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty011
Woman gets one year in jail for false rape accusation.
She should get the same sentence the man would have received if he had been convicted.
Whatever the percentage of false claims is, I wish there were a foolproof way to prevent it. I'm not a Mike Pence fan, but I always found his "never alone with a woman" principle to be a wise one. I think men need to do all they can to protect themselves from even the possibility of such an accusation, just as I think women need to protect themselves from situations where they could easily be raped (obvious dangers like jogging alone at night, for example). And as extreme as it seems, maybe two people about to have consensual sex should sign something saying it is consensual. Crazy, I know, but accusations of rape can be hard to prove or disprove.
Many Managers have already implemented this decision and will not meet with a woman alone anymore. It is a sad situation that people have to do this to protect themselves.
I think the problem here is that she was convicted of the misdemeanor of falsely reporting a crime and interfering with police. If she'd been tried for the felony of perjury, she could have been given five years. Some of this is on the plea bargain system and the judge, which is a problem with a lot of sentences.
However, false accusation and rape are not equivalent crimes and don't deserve equivalent punishments, although one year for two false accusations is definitely not long enough. False accusation may badly screw up the men's lives but an actual rape is both a physical assault and badly screws up the woman's life. I'd say three years for each guy she accused with no early release or parole, three years working in a rape crisis/counseling center when she gets out so she can she what real victims go through, and put her name on the sex offender registry. The school needs to help those guys get back on their feet as well.
Well said. If you accuse someone of murder, you don't get the same sentence as a murderer.
I think the problem here is that she was convicted of the misdemeanor of falsely reporting a crime and interfering with police. If she'd been tried for the felony of perjury, she could have been given five years. Some of this is on the plea bargain system and the judge, which is a problem with a lot of sentences.
However, false accusation and rape are not equivalent crimes and don't deserve equivalent punishments, although one year for two false accusations is definitely not long enough. False accusation may badly screw up the men's lives but an actual rape is both a physical assault and badly screws up the woman's life. I'd say three years for each guy she accused with no early release or parole, three years working in a rape crisis/counseling center when she gets out so she can she what real victims go through, and put her name on the sex offender registry. The school needs to help those guys get back on their feet as well.
After reading all the comments on here, there's one thing people have failed to consider. Every false rape allegation makes it that much more difficult for a true rape victim to be believed.
There was a time when a man would be lynched on an accusation. In a sense, that time still exists only with a different rope. Long ago I gave my sons “the talk” regarding involvement with others on an intimate level. Avoid circumstances. Avoid booze and drugs and people who use the stuff.
Many Managers have already implemented this decision and will not meet with a woman alone anymore. It is a sad situation that people have to do this to protect themselves.
And....If there is a circumstance where it is unavoidable to meet alone, they should at least have a way to secretly record the meeting as insurance at the very least. I believe in most states it is legal to record any conversation you are present/partaking in.....even if not, I'd rather face a potential eavesdropping charge vs. sexual assault, groping, etc. charge.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
