americanfreedom wrote:This post is not an comment on the guilt or innocence of the TNL coach. The whole incident is sad regardless of the outcome. This post is simply an effort to help people understand the actual wrongful conviction rate in this country because of the misinformation above. The most respected liberal and conservative scholars in the country agree that the wrongful conviction number is between 7,500 to 10,000 people a year for all crimes.
A 1997 FBI study of 12,000 rape cases concluded that as many as 25 percent of all rape claims are false. Subsequent research by multiple scholars has suggested that the false charge may exceed 33 percent of all cases. That is, the rape may have occurred, but the wrong man is accused. Since 1989 when post-conviction DNA testing was first performed, more than 205 men have been acquited of rape by post-conviction DNA testing. In otherwords, about 10 a year. This, however, only includes those cases where a post-convictin DNA test was authorized by the and/or available. Post-conviction DNA testing is rarely, if ever, conducted in plea bargain cases.
Wrongfull convictions are a far cry from false charges, and even further still from false claims. What percentage of the false claims you cite resulted in charges being filed? How many of those that did result in charges were subsequently dismissed for lack of evidence or due to witness recantment? Finally, how many false charges resulted in wrongful convictions...and where does that number come from? My point is this: I don't think that the 25%-33% false claim statistic tells us much about the wrongful conviction rate in rape cases.
But more importantly for our purposes here, whether the TNL coach is actually guilty is pretty much irrelevant. We know that the claim is at the very least facially credible, and that the DA saw fit to file charges. So the issue isn't guilt or innocence, but rather what measures are being taken to ensure that lasting harm isn't done to the sport and to those who donate their time, passion and effort to make it so rewarding for our kids. If softball as an institution (which includes TNL, ASA, and even the participants on this board) reacts swiftly and decisively with respect to credible claims of this nature, it instills confidence that we're on it...that improper conduct isn't tolerated in our sport, and thus that folks can feel relatively safe allowing their kids to participate in it.
Adopting the position of the accused's legal team, as if "innocent until proven guilty" is the standard that should apply here, is simply wrongheaded.
