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Old 08-25-2004, 04:18 PM  
Drake
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,508
Quote:
Originally posted by twistyneck
I love the headline.

DNA clears rapist after 22 years

Uh, if he was cleared then he *isn't* a rapist.
I completely agree. Poor taste on the editors part.

This is a huge problem and you can see how it relates to cases like Kobe Bryant. In a classic he said she said, the man gets locked away for 22 years even though he's innocent. It happens far too often (the article even points out the scientist who filed the DNA exonerated another convicted rapist). If a woman decides to cry rape when you're innocent, you're in deep trouble and the cloud will hover over you forever. On the other hand, when a rape really does occur, it's difficult to prove that it did, if there isn't much damage, and rape can occur easily without much physical force. So what is a rape victim to do?

These cases and their outcomes will always be an approximation. We'll never get all of them right. But at least this case was cut and dry. If the guy's DNA wasn't present on the victim, he obviously wasn't the one raping her.
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