There are some cases of sexual assault that are cut-and-dry: the accused fingerprints and fluids are found on the victim’s clothes or person, or the accused has a concrete alibi for where they were when the assault allegedly occurred. But for one reason or another, sex crimes are not always that simple. In many cases, a thorough investigation must be launched into the details of the sex crime in order to determine what happened.
According to statistics released by the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, false rape reports are actually quite low, roughly less than 10 percent of cases in fact. However, this does not mean that approximately 90 percent of rape allegations are true. This is because there is actually a difference between what law enforcement views as a false rape report and a rape allegation that cannot be proven. It is possible that the number of rape allegations that are false is much higher.
It may surprise you to learn that a rape allegation is only considered a false report if evidence can be firmly established that the case did not happen. This is crucial for those who are accused of rape or sexual assault in Florida or anywhere in the United States. What this essentially means is that your innocence must be proven in order for a rape allegation to be considered false.
This is crucial because, of course in the United States, those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty. What this definition of false reporting essentially means is that unless a person accused of rape is proven innocent, then the claims will not be determined a false report, but simply unsubstantiated. So if you are accused of rape, do not be frightened by the low number of false reports. Not every unfounded rape accusation counts.
