Rape: Guilty until proven innocent?

[robvalue]

I just watched a video by Thunderf00t. Apparently the Crown Prosecution Service are issuing new guidelines for investigating rape which promotes the idea that the accused should be considered guilty until proven innocent. I can't even describe how unbelievably wrong this. How can this even be considered in a civilized country? Among all the vast numbers of problems this has, two that spring to mind are an obvious massive increase in wrongful convictions, and a spree of new false allegations being actively encouraged.

I wish this was a joke, but it seems it is real. I don't often use twitter, but I fired it up this morning to send this tweet, as Tfoot has encouraged us to speak out! I'm @RobertWatts11. Please watch the short video, and send your tweets too to @cpsUK. This can't be allowed to stand.

@cpsUK #JusticeIs I can't believe this "guilty until proven innocent" for rape idea! False allegations are now being encouraged. Disgusting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGgVovpTEzM

Links:

The Independent
Daily Mail
The Telegraph

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Get someone to frame some of the people in the CPS.

[robvalue]

Exactly. Anyone can make up any bullshit, and disproof can be extremely difficult.

It would be different if they just said, "We will thoroughly investigate any rape allegation." Sure. So they should.

One other thing I'm firmly against is the media being allowed to release the names of anyone who has been accused of a crime but not yet convicted. All that does is make the person's life much harder should they be found not guilty. Once they are guilty, fine, go nuts. I don't see how the public needs to know that someone is under investigation. If there is a danger from that person, then they should be arrested for the time being anyway.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Accuse a judge or prosecutor, sure. An MP. A member of the Royal Family.

I'm sure this idea would be scotched in a heartbeat once that happens.

[dyresand]

The best case to look at for false rape accusation is UVA rape case.
People jumped the gun even rolling stone in the damning of a fraternity that was
innocent and did nothing. The person who claimed to be raped story changed. The point being Jackie lied
end of story.

[The Valkyrie]

Like all crimes, I believe in innocent until proven guilty. If you change that for one category of crime, how long before you change others?

Unfortunately there's far too much blaming the victim when it comes to rape in our society. And that rape culture also needs to change.

Oh, and any woman who accuses a guy of rape and lies about it should have the book thrown at her, too.

[robvalue]

Right. I'm sure there are ways that handling rape accusations could be improved, but this is certainly not one of them.

[Mermaid]

Our legal system dictates that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Rape seems to be a gray area in too many cases, since it's almost impossible to prove. And then there's the whole victim blaming/rape culture thing thrown in.

I agree that a false accuser needs to be prosecuted severely. Cases like this are over-emphasized as well, for while they do happen, they are an infinitesimal percentage of all rape accusations.

[dyresand]

i am pretty sure we don't even have a rape culture looking at the statistics of it we don't. 

You can also add in gun violence and any type violence if anything were becoming more civilized. The whole gun violence issue the thing is with that it's not like back then we are on a steady decline. 

[The Valkyrie]

When I refer to "rape culture" it's not necessarily the number of rapes committed. I know, in general, violent crime is declining.

Of course, there is the belief (fact?) that only a small number of rapes - 20%, the last I read - even get reported.

By rape culture I mean blaming the victim, communities rallying around the rapist - even when they've admitted their crime.