About releasing the names of people accused of rape..

rantgrrl · 2011-05-17T19:07:25+00:00

How is it even allowed? Is there a specific law about this? How can it be challenged?

It was challenged in the UK. Feminist groups got the challenge overturned.

So it goes.

zyk0s · 2011-05-17T22:53:28+00:00

The main idea, I think, is that people have a "right to a public trial", and keeping the identity of the accused safe would, in legislators' minds, be akin to secret arrests and trials common in totalitarian states. Of course, that's a slippery slope argument, and I don't buy it, since minors' identity is usually withheld in criminal case (if you're less than 18, people don't care about your right to free trial? Or is your privacy more important than adults?)

Some countries (I believe this is true in Poland, among others) prohibit releasing the names and photos of people accused until the sentence. It seems both you and me believe this is how it should be done, and it seems that it works in some places. But North America seems keen on giving more freedom to the ~~tabloids~~ press than protecting the wrongly accused.

phukka · 2011-05-18T01:01:22+00:00

Because it's easier to accuse someone whose name has been dragged through the mud over the course of the wait for a trial.

Compare two cases, both with similar circumstances. The first case, you know virtually nothing about the accused. The jury merely knows his name and the facts of the case against him.

The second case, the jury knows his name, the facts of the case against him and information on every misdeed he's ever done in his life that could be bought or sold.

Which is easier to convict? The guy that has been made out to be the villain, of course.

We live in a society that TRIES to imprison people. Our police force goes out of it's way to incarcerate people. Of course they're going to try and get people convicted, and this is one of the best ways to do it.

I used to work in a correctional facility as a correctional officer. I saw lives ruined for petty things. I saw lives ruined under the ruse of guilt. I saw innocent men get sentenced to 15 or more years.

Our government thinks that the percentage of "guilty" convictions is directly correlated with how safe our country is, regardless of whether or not those incarcerated were guilty.

Dax420 · 2011-05-18T00:44:03+00:00

How is it even allowed?

Long story short, court documents are public records.

I'm not saying it's right, I'm just telling you why.

fondueguy · 2011-05-18T04:50:47+00:00

Is there a good reason for releasing the names

Not really, and definitely not worth it.

And the only minor reason is no better than releasing the names of the accusers

Title	About releasing the names of people accused of rape..
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	15
Comments	24
Date	May 17, 2011 6:42 PM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/hdkd1/about_releasing_the_names_of_people_accused_of/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/about-releasing-the-names-of-people-accused-of.1039774 https://theredarchive.com/post/1039774

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