should someone who falsely accuses someone of rape be subject to the same  jailtime as the one they accused??
442858
yes, because being accused of something like that can ruin your life. you can lose you job, your friends, your family, even your freedom. and if it is done just to get back at you or whatever reason that person had, they should pay for it! however it is difficult to prove they are lying. sometimes people don't get convicted when they did rape someone just because there wasn't enough evidence so the accuser should not be punished then.
716299
The justice system is so royally screwed up that I sometimes wonder if we might even be better off without one at all.\n\nAs someone who was abused by a sexual offender in the past, I would love to know why the accused offenders are getting more sympathy than the victims? That's no different than how the system currently works. Some officials won't believe a kid no matter what they say so the offender is never tried for their crimes and continues to do it.
259052
As far as an actual statistic, I'm not sure.  However, I think that people lie in court all the time.  People are either honest or dishonest... I don't think that swearing to tell the truth will automaticaly want to make a dishonest person want to tell the truth... it just means that if they don't tell the truth when they swore to, then it's illegal.  And hey, if they are already on trial for something illegal, it's probably not going to bother them if they do something ELSE that's illegal.
670341
Hopefully this person will seek help.  Rape is a very traumatic experience and requires counseling to avoid huge emotional scarring in the future.  The sooner that this person reports the rape, the more likely that the rapist will be caught.
467802
He or she can probably get into more trouble by withholding evidence.  The words that come to mind are: accessory after the fact.  I believe that could apply here.
1060908
IF the man actually raped her, then I would tell her to go to the Police with this information!\n\nNow, if she doesnt, then I wouldnt put too much stock in her being raped, and that she was just unfaithful, and that any time you two dissagree, she may turn to this man, (and thats why he calls, to see if she is available again), for comfort, and that being in a sexual nature.\n\nI wish you well..\n\nJesse
402088
If you are the accuser, you don't have to be present.  But, know that it will make the judge seriously question your credibility..and your testimony may be what is needed to get a conviction.  I don't know what happened, but if it is something traumatic like a rape, etc...you can testify by closed circuit television...ask your lawyer, or if you don't have one, call the court and ask them..
837282
Nah, I think it is crazy to think that you (or whomever!) would be punished for being raped by an underage person. It isn't as if you initiated the sex and it was non-consensual so you really couldn't be prosecuted.
695232
I wouldn't think it would be sexual assault, but it would be assault.  I suspect that some of the people claiming this in forums are lying, perhaps to make themselves look better.  If it was done to me, I would file assault charges.
1128612
Our society likes to believe we practice what we preach but we don't.  If you have served your sentence then you have paid your debt and your past should be forgiven.  However, what you did and your chances of re-offending are fair considerations to potential employers.  I am an active advocate for survivors of sexual assault and child rape/sexual assault.  Pedophiles and rapists are very low on my list of who to help next, but, with sex offenders mandatory registration, I can't help but think we are creating more problems.  Sex offenders need to support themselves but I don't want them around vulnerable populations.  So it is a very difficult situation to solve.
305477
I agree 100% these boys are being looked down upon and have not be convicted of shit. There names and faces are public for anyone to retrieve and stalk or harass them. It is unfair. By the way was it proved that she raped.
88155
It depends on the State and what type of crime you were a victim of.  For example - if you were  victim of sexual assault - you may have more time - but if it was a simple assault - you may only have one year.  In your example above - they most likely have a year - but a prosecuter is going to wonder why if they wait long to report it.  May only have a civil case after too long
797410
Too many issues to open that can of worms. However, there are some loopholes in the current system, for example it may be possible to bring different charges for the same crime like manslaughter instead of murder, depends on your luck with the judge since much of law today is judicial discretion & bench precedent. It a person gets off and then confesses (on tape, provable), if that person testified at the trial and said they were innocent, s/he could be charged with perjury among other things. It would be very foolish to confess though, because even if the person gets off legally, there are still civil lawsuits and consequences that are not so easily dismissed.
558065
Well, they should press charges.  Sexual contact between you two is ILLEGAL to a evry high degree.  Either lose the dude and hurt for a week or stay with him and watch him go to prison.
1166308
i'm all for that, BUT what happens when a girl wants to get back at a guy, and says he raped her?.. or if a girl's really leading a guy on and only once they're naked and steamy does she reject him? (ok that's still rape and VERY wrong, but i'm trying to say that there are grey areas.) there are a lot of cases where girls wrongly accuse.. some girls get forced into it by parents who can't believe their sweet lil girl would bonk someone.\n\nI believe there should be a really bad punishment, but it cant be used unless there is solid proof of rape. I say the same should go for murder and child abuse.
575779
Dude, get a life.....If it wasn't a big enough of a deal to do it right after it happened, then I guess it wasn't a big deal at all..\n\nBut to answer your question, it depends on what act you claim they're guilty of....consult a lawyer or paralegal.
90800
Rape is much too serious to tolerate but it is also much too serious to trivialise by making false claims.\n\nI would encourage your friends to go the police. If they are telling the truth they will be happy to bring the boy to justice. Two accusers are better than one, and with their families' support they could begin to put the past behind them.\n\nIf they don't want to go the police (despite having the support of their parents) you should suggest to them that you will initiate the process. I would be suspicious of their claims if they refuse to bring any charges whatsoever.