One of the justifications for the use of "Start By Believing" methods is the claim that false allegations of sexual assault are extremely rare. 

How many times have you heard the mantra that only 2-10% of rape accusations are false? For example, a 2010 article by David Lisak concluded, “the prevalence of false allegations is between 2% and 10%.” If that number is true, a "Start By Believing" investigation likely would have the same outcome as an impartial and balanced investigation.

But a new SAVE analysis concludes that the actual rate of "unfounded" sexual assault allegations in the criminal setting is....one in three. The problem of unfounded accusations is even worse among these groups:

1. College students, where the number is closer to 40-50%
2. Black men: “a black prisoner serving time for sexual assault is three-and-a-half times more likely to be innocent than a white sexual assault convict,” according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

The SAVE report concludes, "In cases of unfounded allegations, the true “victim” is the person falsely accused, not the complainant."

Here's the link to the report: https://www.saveservices.org/2021/05/one-third-of-sexual-assault-allegations-are-unfounded/

Please pass it along.

Sincerely,

Edward Bartlett