The Truth Behind the Lies: The Complex Motivations for False Allegations of Sexual Assault

Autor:	Cassia Spohn, Eryn Nicole O’Neal, Clair White, Katharine Tellis
Rok vydání:	2014
Předmět:	Sexual violence media_common.quotation_subject Attention seeking Personal distress Anger Remorse Alibi Mental illness medicine.disease False accusation Gender Studies medicine Psychology Law Social psychology media_common
Zdroj:	Women & Criminal Justice. 24:324-340
ISSN:	1541-0323 0897-4454
DOI:	10.1080/08974454.2014.890161
Popis:	The issue of false allegations is arguably the most controversial topic in the area of sexual violence. Portrayals of women who make false allegations are largely negative and leave little room for a comprehensive understanding of the complex motivations behind false complaints of sexual assault. The current study uses detailed qualitative data on 55 sexual assault cases that were reported to the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008 and that were subsequently unfounded. Our study focuses on identifying the factors that motivated complainants to file false allegations. Results reveal that motivations for false allegations fall into five overlapping categories: avoiding trouble/providing an alibi, anger or revenge, attention seeking, mental illness, and guilt/remorse. In addition, our findings more obviously suggest that motivations for filing false reports are varied and complex, often resulting from a need to alleviate social and personal distress. Given that we centered our study on motivations, this re...
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::78ea609af1ce7377f40685cc084445d0 https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2014.890161 Zobrazit plný text záznamu