The sex offense revolution started with trying to fix a major problem in society but turned into a tool for persecution. Like Salem during the witch hunts, the hype may be bigger than the reality that does exist. In many cases, sex crimes devolve into a he-said/she-said type scenario, in which the person with the most believable story is found innocent while the other ends up spending time being punished for a crime they did not commit.
For instance, there was a gentleman who was recently released that had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape. The woman that claimed that she was raped failed to disclose that she had the incarcerated individual had just started dating. Their relationship was unknown to anyone other than a few short messages through Instagram, all appearing to be innocent. Since he had to accept a plea deal due to not being able to afford a lawyer, he could no longer appeal. His saving grace came when one of her former friends came forward, years later, with a series of texts that detailed the crime, showing how the former girlfriend had lied to gain sympathy from her community. After his incarceration, she became a local celebrity. He was released and sadly, there were no charges filed against her. In fact, she used his release in order to gain even more sympathy.
As the #MeToo movement gained steam, stories like this became all too common. Even if one was innocent, they could be proclaimed guilty in the public’s eye, and in trials, this was a sure-fire way to end up with a guilty plea. Very few cases found in Oklahoma such as this were found innocent. Lies and deception abound, and accusations of sex crimes became a formidable weapon.
First came the protective orders, which are so easy to obtain that anyone with a quasi-plausable story can secure. If there was even the smallest bit of questionable evidence, judges would grant this “to be on the safe side”. With a protective order in place, the defendant automatically appears guilty.
Next, the #MeToo social movement and all the hype that went along with it. Legitimate cases were lumped in with the hype and soon it was hard to separate fact from fiction. As society was conditioned to accept this unequal balance, sex cases skyrocketed, as well as plea deals and guilty pleas.
Finally, it became a game of numbers and details the more one could afford, the more likely a conviction they would secure. When the state has an endless supply of funding, it is hard for any individual to have a fair trial. If the accuser had enough detail to convince others, the case would already be lost. Further, the state could not be seen as being easy on sex crimes, so that motivated more convictions.
While it is clear that not every one convicted is innocent, the numbers of those falsely accused have been estimated as being as high as 30% in some studies.
While the #MeToo movement was meant to raise awareness, it also created a tool that could be used for nefarious purposes. This is perpetuated by the need for governments to portray a tough on crime stance.
So where does it end? Only time well tell, but not before affecting hundreds of lives.
