"A Maine prosecutor has vowed to prosecute people accused of sexual assault even if there is not enough evidence to prove they committed the crime.
WGME reported District Attorney Natasha Irving said she would try to reform the legal system by prosecuting cases that previously had been deemed “too hard to prove.”
She said prosecutors shouldn’t decline to take on such cases because “that response is very damaging to a survivor,” suggesting she believes every accuser is a “survivor.”
The number, as I have written numerous times, refers only to cases that have been proven false.
The real number is unknown.
Using the same logic employed by Irving, one could say just 3% to 5% of rape accusations are true, since that’s how many go to trial and result in a guilty finding.
Irving went on to explain the two criteria she will use to bring forward rape allegations.
1. Is the allegation credible? (Judging from Irving’s statements it’s hard to see her believing many allegations aren’t credible) and
2. Is the accuser (WGME predictably calls them a “victim”) willing to go forward with the case and potentially testify?
That’s it.
That’s all it will take for Irving to drag someone through a lengthy court battle even if it’s obvious they will be found not guilty.
As criminal defense attorney Scott Greenfield wrote on his blog Simple Justice, that Irving’s approach seems to be about smearing the accused rather than obtaining justice in any particular case..."
Read all.
