I remember freshman year of high school in English class we had to write an essay comparing what happened in To Kill a Mockingbird to the Scottsboro boys case.
While I appreciate old Ben's sentiment, we still have to balance the public good with individuals' rights. They way we prosecute (or not) cases these days we are letting 100 known guilty persons go rather than one known guilty person suffer, because their values are just as valid as anyone else's and it's unfair to judge them based on our own paternalistic, judgmental, and oppressive beliefs.
Ok but there have been times where the girl did in fact lie about being raped to get attention and to get the guy thrown in jail. As terrible as it is to lie about something like that, it does happen.
You are correct in that all "potential" cases should always be treated seriously and thoroughly investigated, and the complete burden of proof can't rely on only the potential victim. However, that being said it is not the main reason rapes go unreported. It's estimated that of the unreported rapes committed the vast majority go unreported do to the feeling of shame and embarrassment. It's been a while since I saw the figures so you'll have to a bit of research to find them but I believe it was around 50%-60% of woman being the victim and 85%-90% of men being the victim that go unreported,
Right you are. It's the stigma of being a victim coupled with not wanting to relive it over and over with the police and courts. This is where social workers and victims' advocates come in. We cannot lock up supposed rapists just because it's too uncomfortable for accusers to go through the process.
And @guest, the burden of proof is and should be on the ACCUSER, not the defendant. That's why the standard in a criminal trial is "reasonable doubt". If there's even a hint of a doubt someone is guilty juries must acquit to avoid sending an innocent to prison or worse. It may suck sometimes but this is much better than some other countries.
A waitress who worked for me claimed she was raped at a party. Turned out she only said that because it got out she was in a gang bang and she didn't want to be called a slut.
The weirdest thing was when Hillary Clinton Tweeted that....the woman who destroyed the careers and reputations of the women who accused her husband of rape and/or other sexual aggression.
And @guest, the burden of proof is and should be on the ACCUSER, not the defendant. That's why the standard in a criminal trial is "reasonable doubt". If there's even a hint of a doubt someone is guilty juries must acquit to avoid sending an innocent to prison or worse. It may suck sometimes but this is much better than some other countries.