false accusation

When there is insufficient supporting evidence to determine whether it is true or false, an accusation is described as "unsubstantiated" or "unfounded". Accusations that are determined to be false based on corroborating evidence can be divided into three categories:

• A completely false allegation, in that the alleged events did not occur.
• An allegation that describes events that did occur, but were perpetrated by an individual who is not accused, and in which the accused person is innocent.
• An allegation that is false, in that it mixes descriptions of events that actually happened with other events that did not occur.

A false allegation can occur as the result of intentional lying on the part of the accuser;{{cite journal |vauthors=Mikkelsen EJ, Gutheil TG, Emens M |title=False sexual-abuse allegations by children and adolescents: contextual factors and clinical subtypes |journal=Am J Psychother |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=556–70 |date=October 1992 |pmid=1443285 |doi= 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1992.46.4.556}}{{cite book |first=Clifton D. |last=Bryant |title=Deviant Behavior: Readings in the Sociology of Norm Violation |location=New York |publisher=Hemisphere |year=1990 |page=190 |isbn=0-89116-696-3 }} or unintentionally, due to a confabulation, either arising spontaneously due to mental illness or resulting from deliberate or accidental suggestive questioning, or faulty interviewing techniques.{{cite book |author1=Maggie Bruck |author2=Ceci, Stephen J |title=Jeopardy in the Courtroom |url=https://archive.org/details/jeopardyincourtr0000ceci |url-access=registration |publisher=Amer Psychological Assn |year=1995 |isbn=1-55798-282-1 }} In 1997, researchers Poole and Lindsay suggested that separate labels should be applied to the two concepts, proposing that the term "false allegations" be used specifically when the accuser is aware that they are lying, and "false suspicions" for the wider range of false accusations in which suggestive questioning may have been involved.{{cite book |title=Handbook of Psychology |author=Irving B. Weiner |author-link=Irving B. Weiner |author2=Donald K. Freedheim |year= 2003 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=lBXf1slZBDwC&pg=PA438 438] | publisher=John Wiley and Sons |isbn= 0-471-17669-9}}

When a person is suspected of a wrongdoing for which they are in fact responsible, "false accusation may be used to divert attention from one's own guilt". False accusation may also arise in part from the conduct of the accused, particularly where the accused engages in behaviors consistent with having committed the suspected wrongdoing, either unconsciously or for purposes of appearing guilty.

Additionally, once a false accusation has been made – particularly an emotionally laden one – normal human emotional responses to being falsely accused (such as fear, anger, or denial of the accusation) may be misinterpreted as evidence of guilt.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} Examples would include accusations based on irrational psychotic paranoia. A real life example -- Mr. Psych had a picture knocked off his book shelf by cleaning staff. Cleaning staff did not leave a note about damage and left the damaged picture frame where it had previously resided on Mr. Psych's office shelf. Mr. Psych finds the picture frame broken, and instantly throws a tantrum, screams, threatens and blames innocent co-workers creating a hostile work environment.

{{Expand section|date=October 2022}}

In Japan in 2020, at least 33 people (21 males and 12 females) were arrested for false accusations.{{cite web |url=https://www.npa.go.jp/toukei/soubunkan/R02/pdf/R02_ALL.pdf |title=犯罪統計書 令和2年の犯罪 |date=September 2021 |publisher=警察庁 |access-date=2022-10-14

|language=ja}}

{{Main|False accusation of rape}}

A false accusation of rape is the intentional reporting of a rape where no rape has occurred. It is difficult to assess the prevalence of false accusations because they are often conflated with non-prosecuted cases under the designation "unfounded".{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iV398oA5DdsC |title=Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation |year=2008 |editor-first=Robert R. |editor-last=Hazelwood |editor2-first=Ann Wolbert |editor2-last=Burgess |publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781420065053 }}{{cite web |last=Gross |first=Bruce |date=Spring 2009 |url= |title=False Rape Allegations: An Assault On Justice |work=The Forensic Examiner }} However, in the United States, the FBI Uniform Crime Report in 1996 and the United States Department of Justice in 1997 stated 8% of rape accusations in the United States were regarded as unfounded or false.{{cite web |url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/1996/96sec2.pdf |work=Crime in the United States 1996: Uniform Crime Statistics |title=Section II: Crime Index Offenses Reported |publisher=FBI |date=1997 }}{{Cite book|title = Forensic Victimology: Examining Violent Crime Victims in Investigative and Legal Contexts|last = Turvey|first = Brent E.|publisher = Academic Press|year = 2013 |isbn =978-0-12-408084-3 |pages = 276–277}}{{cite journal |last=Rumney |first=Philip N. S. |year=2006 |title=False Allegations of Rape |journal=Cambridge Law Journal |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=128–158 |doi=10.1017/S0008197306007069 |s2cid=29279653 }} Studies in other countries have reported their own rates at anywhere from 1.5% (Denmark) to 10% (Canada).{{rp|140–142}} Due to varying definitions of a "false accusation", the true percentage remains unknown.

{{Main|False accusations of child sexual abuse}}

A false allegation of child sexual abuse is an accusation that a person committed one or more acts of child sexual abuse when in reality there was no perpetration of abuse by the accused person as alleged. Such accusations can be brought by the victim, or by another person on the alleged victim's behalf. Studies of child abuse allegations suggest that the overall rate of false accusation is under 10%, as approximated based on multiple studies.{{cite book|title=Child Abuse and Neglect: A Clinician's Handbook |last= Hobbs |first= CJ |author2=Hanks HGI |author3=Wynne JM |publisher= Elsevier Health Sciences |year=1999 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=3w_j-n1tLGcC&pg=PA197 197] |isbn= 0-443-05896-2}}{{cite book|title=Child Sexual Abuse: A Handbook for Health Care and Legal Professionals |last= Schetky |first=DH |author2=Green AH |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1988 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=QYyzGgZbllYC&pg=PA105 105] |isbn= 0-87630-495-1}}{{cite book|title=Child Sexual Abuse: Its Scope and Our Failure |last= Bolen |first=RM |publisher=Springer |year= 2001 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=Bzd1ytm7nvoC&pg=PA109 109] |isbn= 0-306-46576-0}} Of the allegations determined to be false, only a small portion originated with the child, the studies showed; most false allegations originated with an adult bringing the accusations on behalf of a child, and of those, a large majority occurred in the context of divorce and child-custody battles.{{cite book|title=True and False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse: Assessment and Case Management |last=Ney |first=T |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1995 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=BggJjhbBJzwC&pg=PA23 23–33] |isbn= 0-87630-758-6}}{{cite book|title=Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports: The Problem of False Allegations |last= Robin |first=M |publisher= Haworth Press |year= 1991 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tqBVMUlMPLIC&pg=PA21 21–24] |isbn= 0-86656-931-6}}

{{Main|Workplace bullying}}

According to a 2003 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, the most common bullying tactics included false attribution of "errors" to an employee, glaring or other hostile body language, dismissive comments, the "silent treatment", and/or making up arbitrary "rules" to ensure that a victim breaks them.{{cite web|url=http://www.workplacebullying.org:80/top-25/|title=Top 25 workplace bullying tactics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015011326/http://www.workplacebullying.org:80/top-25/|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=2017-10-15}}

{{Main|Workplace mobbing}}

Workplace mobbing can be considered as a "virus" or a "cancer" that spreads throughout the workplace via gossip, rumour and unfounded accusations.{{cite book |last1=Shallcross |first1=Linda |last2=Ramsay |first2=Sheryl |last3=Barker |first3=Michelle |year=2008 |chapter=Workplace mobbing: Expulsion, exclusion, and transformation |editor-last=Wilson |editor-first=M. |title=Managing in the Pacific Century |series=Proceedings of the 22nd Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Annual Conference |publisher=Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, Australia |pages=1–22 |chapter-url=https://eprints.qut.edu.au/43896/ }}

{{Main|Münchausen syndrome by proxy}}

The case has been made that diagnoses of Münchausen syndrome by proxy, that is harming someone else in order to gain attention for oneself, are often false or highly questionable.{{cite web|url=http://www.pnc.com.au/~heleneli/paper.htm|title=False Accusations of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. PHD and more presented by Dr. Helen Hayward-Brown.|website=www.pnc.com.au|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=3 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031203074042/http://www.pnc.com.au/~heleneli/paper.htm|url-status=dead}}

{{Main|False claims of stalking, gang stalking and delusions of persecution}}

In 1999, Pathe, Mullen, and Purcell wrote that popular interest in stalking was promoting false claims.{{cite journal |first1=M. |last1=Pathe |first2=P. E. |last2=Mullen |first3=R. |last3=Purcell |title=Stalking: false claims of victimization |journal=British Journal of Psychiatry |volume=174 |issue=2 |pages=170–172 |year=1999 |doi=10.1192/bjp.174.2.170 |pmid=10211173 |s2cid=13850054 }} In 2004, Sheridan and Blaauw said that they estimated that 11.5% of claims in a sample of 357 reported claims of stalking were false.{{cite journal |first1=L. P. |last1=Sheridan |first2=E. |last2=Blaauw |title=Characteristics of False Stalking Reports |journal=Criminal Justice and Behavior |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=55–72 |year=2004 |doi=10.1177/0093854803259235 |s2cid=11868229 }}

In the mid 2000, LAPD arrested a young man Juan Catalan after a little girl was shot dead. Catalan was sentenced to death after a witness stated that he looked like the killer. Catalan turned out to be innocent; it was a television show (Curb Your Enthusiasm) which showed him seated at a baseball game, thus exonerating him. A documentary was later produced about the event.{{cite web | url=https://innocenceproject.org/how-curb-your-enthusiasm-saved-an-innocent-man-from-death-row/ | title=How 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Saved an Innocent Man from Death Row | date=29 September 2017 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2022-04-07/a-notorious-lapd-settlement-revisited-hbos-role-in-clearing-an-l-a-mans-name-essential-california | title=A notorious LAPD settlement, revisited: HBO's role in clearing an L.A. Man's name | website=Los Angeles Times | date=7 April 2022 }}

{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|

• Accusation
• Allegation
• Black propaganda
• Blackstone's ratio
• Blame
• Criminal accusation
• Cancel culture
• Defamation
• False alarm
• False arrest
• False Claims Act
• False conviction
• False evidence
• False imprisonment
• False statement
• Legal abuse
• Lie
• Paranoia
• Perjury
• Presumption of guilt
• Sham peer review
• Smear campaign
• Victim blaming

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Disinformation}}

{{Abuse}}

{{Bullying}}

{{Miscarriage of Justice}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Harassment and bullying

Category:Abuse of the legal system

Category:Stalking

Category:Lying

Category:Propaganda techniques