DOJ-OGR-00006271.pdf

Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 424-3 Filed 11/08/21 Page 3 of 29 Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 12:97-123, 2012 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1522-8932 print/1522-9092 online DOI: 10.1080/15228932.2012.650071 AREA REVIEWS Pathways to False Allegations of Sexual Assault JESSICA ENGLE, BA Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada WILLIAM O'DONOHUE, PhD Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada Not all allegations of sexual assault are true. Unfortunately, there has been little work on understanding the prevalence of false allegations or pathways to these. This paper proposes 11 pathways to false allegations of sexual assault: (a) lying, (b) implied consent, (c) false memories, (d) intoxication, (e) antisocial personality disorder, (f) borderline personality disorder, (g) histrionic personality disorder, (h) delirium, (i) psychotic disorders, (j) dissociation, and (k) intellectual disability. These pathways originate in the psychological diatheses of the individual. Further research is needed into the frequency of these pathways, ways to accurately detect these, and whether other pathways exist. KEYWORDS false allegations, sexual assault, psychological pathways, rape, lying, mental disorders In many sexual assault cases, there is little, if any, unequivocal physical evidence of a crime and no third-party eyewitnesses to bring decisive testimony to the event in question (Binder & McNeil, 2007), complicating the task of discerning the truth of a claim. Without clear physical evidence, the decisions of the legal system are based merely on the relative credibility of the narratives of the persons involved. In addition, physical evidence can be ambiguous: Medical evidence may allow a determination of whether intercourse occurred, and perhaps whether the intercourse was "rough," but not whether that sexual contact was consensual. Thus, in cases such as these Address correspondence to William O'Donohue, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Reno, Mail Stop 298, Reno, NV 89557. E-mail: wto@unr.edu 97 DOJ-OGR-00006271