Prior to 1974, the term “rape” was defined in the English Common Law was “the carnal knowledge of female, not one’s wife, forcibly and against her will.” Carnal knowledge is the means of penetration of the vagina by the penis (Defining Rape). The offense was redefined with the terms “sexual assault”, and “sexual abuse”. This help put emphasis on the violent, nonsense aspects, broaden the acts, and allow for a sex-neutral definition of the crime (Defining Rape).
According to the United States Department of Justice today, sexual assault is "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient." This can be any sexual touching, or sexual acts like kissing. Sexual Assault allegations have recently increased …show more content…
When victims fail to report the crime in a reasonable time, it is challenging for investigators to gather evidence and determine the truth. New allegations flood the media daily condemning celebrities and people from all walks of life. Many of the claims are old and the assault happened years prior. Sexual Assault crimes are difficult enough to investigate without a time lapse and take a significant amount of time to complete. “The determination that a report of sexual assault is false can be made only if the evidence establishes that no crime was committed or attempted. This determination can be made only after a thorough investigation. This should not be confused with an investigation that fails to prove a sexual assault occurred. In that case the investigation would be labeled unsubstantiated. The determination that a report is false must be supported by evidence that the assault did not happen,” (IACP, 2005b, pp. 12-13; italics in original). What if there is no evidence against the accused or to proof that event did not happen? If the victim cannot provide evidence that the crime happened then it should be labeled as a false allegation. In many jurisdiction institutional definition of rape prior to 1974, penetration had to be proved by physical evidence around the woman vagina or on the male’s penis, and emission of semen had to be brought
According to the United States Department of Justice today, sexual assault is "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient." This can be any sexual touching, or sexual acts like kissing. Sexual Assault allegations have recently increased …show more content…
When victims fail to report the crime in a reasonable time, it is challenging for investigators to gather evidence and determine the truth. New allegations flood the media daily condemning celebrities and people from all walks of life. Many of the claims are old and the assault happened years prior. Sexual Assault crimes are difficult enough to investigate without a time lapse and take a significant amount of time to complete. “The determination that a report of sexual assault is false can be made only if the evidence establishes that no crime was committed or attempted. This determination can be made only after a thorough investigation. This should not be confused with an investigation that fails to prove a sexual assault occurred. In that case the investigation would be labeled unsubstantiated. The determination that a report is false must be supported by evidence that the assault did not happen,” (IACP, 2005b, pp. 12-13; italics in original). What if there is no evidence against the accused or to proof that event did not happen? If the victim cannot provide evidence that the crime happened then it should be labeled as a false allegation. In many jurisdiction institutional definition of rape prior to 1974, penetration had to be proved by physical evidence around the woman vagina or on the male’s penis, and emission of semen had to be brought