*Content Warning: sexual assault, rape, false reporting and mental illness. Sources: Brittain, A. (2024, October 1). Me Too Movement. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Me-Too-movement Brooks SK, Greenberg N. Psychological impact of being wrongfully accused of criminal offenses: A systematic literature review. Med Sci Law. 2021 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7838333/ The Criminal Justice System: Statistics. (n.d.). Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network.. https://rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system Criminal Resource Manual. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-916-false-statements-federal-investigator False Reporting. (2012, March). National Sexual Violence Resource Center. https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2012-03/Publications_NSVRC_Overview_False-Reporting.pdf Falsely Reporting an Incident, Saland Law https://www.new-york-lawyers.org/falsely-reporting-an-incident.html Former Rising Football Star Exonerated in Rape Case. (2012, May 24). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/rising-football-star-brian-banks-exonerated-rape-case/story?id=16424770 Leithead, K. (2022, November 9). False Reports: Percentage. End Violence Against Women International. https://evawintl.org/best_practice_faqs/false-reports-percentage/ Mascolo, J. (2023, September 8). Filing a False Police Report. https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/filing-a-false-police-report.html McNamara, J., & Lawrence, J. (2012, September 1). False Allegations of Adult Crimes. Law Enforcement Bulletin. https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/false-allegations-of-adult-crimes McNamara JJ, McDonald S, Lawrence JM. Characteristics of false allegation adult crimes. J Forensic Sci. 2012 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ More Than Twice as Many Americans Support Than Oppose the #MeToo Movement. (2022, September 29). Pew Research. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/09/29/more-than-twice-as-many-americans-support-than-oppose-the-metoo-movement/ Perrotto, A. (n.d.). The rarity of false rape reports; a brave new world of technology (PCAR). Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect. https://pcar.org/blog/rarity-false-rape-reports-brave-new-world-technology Tarana Burke. (n.d.). Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tarana-Burke Woman Who Falsely Accused Brian Banks of Rape Ordered to Pay $2.6M. (2013, January 15). KTLA 4. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/woman-falsely-accused-brian-banks-rape-ordered-to-pay-26m/1971672/ Resources: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) https://www.nami.org/ National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) https://www.nsvrc.org/ Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). https://rainn.org/?_ga=2.262784078.390982495.1727710159-2006450411.1727373347 Follow Something Was Wrong: Website: somethingwaswrong.com IG: instagram.com/somethingwaswrongpodcast TikTok: tiktok.com/@somethingwaswrongpodcast Follow Tiffany Reese: Website: tiffanyreese.me IG: http://www.instagram.com/lookieboo The Data Points cover art is by the Amazing Sara Stewart.
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Hi friends, this is Amy B. Chesler of Season 7 of Something Was Wrong and host of What Came Next. I'm hosting this special episode of Broken Cycle Media's series of informational episodes called Data Points. These episodes will include educational information and support on different topics that are important to our community. Thank you so much for listening.
In this discussion of false reporting and its detriment on victims and society, we'd like to begin by highlighting how important it is to start by believing. When receiving a report of any kind, no matter the small statistical possibility of it potentially being false, receiving that person safely and with initial openness and understanding can have a vast impact on a victim's trajectory.
According to the FBI, false reporting or a false allegation crime involves persons reporting a fabricated offense that has occurred against them to a law enforcement agency. False allegations can span many crimes, but in this episode, we'll be referring specifically to sexual assault.
Although false reporting of sexual assault does happen and has detrimental repercussions, it's crucial to understand how uncommon it really is. it is nearly impossible to know the exact amount of false sexual assault reports. However, many studies have concluded that the rate of false reporting is estimated to be between 2 and 8%.
For example, data on sexual assault cases from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008 found that 4.5% of the reports were false. Furthermore, the Making a Difference, or MAD, project created by End Violence Against Women International conducted a multi-site study of eight U.S. communities. The study reviewed data collected by nationwide law enforcement agencies
about all sexual assault reports received within an 18 to 24-month period. Of the 2,059 cases that were included in the study, 140, or 7% of them, were classified as a false report of sexual assault. Still, the reported range of 2 to 8 percent for false sexual assault claims might actually be an overestimate.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center shares how false reporting data inflates because of law enforcement's negligence to follow recommended guidelines and a, quote, weak understanding of sexual assault, end quote. Both men and women make false allegations. However, statistically speaking, women are the perpetrators of false claims the majority of the time.
One PubMed study on the characteristics of false allegation adult crimes shares that 73.3% of false allegations were perpetrated by women and 93.3% of perpetrators were Caucasian. 43.3% of offenders were high school graduates without further education, typically in their late teens or early 20s.
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