I mean we can talk about what is worse between being falsely accused and actually being raped, but it's wholly irrelevant. The fact remains that over half of rapes go unreported. People are afraid of the spotlight that comes out of most rape trials and a lot of people don't think it's worth it to go through the ordeal for the chance to have the person arrested. Nobody should be afraid to tell someone when they have been assaulted, but if someone is unable to prove a rape has occurred (and it's quite hard after some time has passed), they're going to be seen as a liar whether or not they were telling the truth.
It's a terrible thing when an innocent person goes to prison, no one other than a few radicals (who everyone seems to assume speak for all feminists) is arguing against this. But false rape accusations are "swept under the rug" because they are a very small percentage of all rape cases and a much smaller issue than rape which goes unpunished.
so is the argument "it's okay for people to occasionally be punished for crimes they didn't commit because the victims of those crimes are far more numerous?"
otherwise I'm not clear on what you're saying
in any case it's a situation with few good outcomes. you can punish false accusations but then the accusers will never admit they were lying and the falsely accused will never get their sentences overturned. unless you find hard evidence that the accuser is lying, I guess. which seems tough with rape because how do you prove that someone didn't rape someone else?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npHDxSvwCE0