| Spousal abuse, or domestic violence, is a widely | | | | the emotional toll. The damage to ones reputation at |
| publicized, well known violent crime. Even those not | | | | work and in the community is usually irreparable. |
| directly associated with the crime are aware of the | | | | Seldom does the public recall the accusations were |
| seriousness. News media and movies document the | | | | false. |
| violent results. Why, then, would anyone exploit the | | | | Most state governments treat spousal abuse under |
| problem by making false allegations? Most reasons | | | | domestic abuse laws. Definitions by state can range |
| deal with maliciousness (wanting revenge or the | | | | from specific to general. A generic legal definition of |
| upper hand) or delusions. Whatever the reasons for | | | | domestic abuse defines it as physical or verbal |
| the false accusation of spousal abuse, the problem is | | | | threatening. When incorporated into laws, this vague |
| real, the penalties to the accused are severe | | | | definition leaves room for embellishment and outright |
| (whether convicted or not), and the prevention is | | | | lies. Suddenly, words shouted in the heat of anger |
| slow to develop. | | | | become jail time. |
| The Problem | | | | The Prevention |
| Spousal abuse is a very real problem. Though experts | | | | The seriousness of false accusation of spousal abuse |
| may differ greatly in their statistics, most agree | | | | is recognized and prevention is possible. There are |
| there are millions of victims in the United States | | | | numerous attorneys specializing in defending those |
| alone. The word victim also applies to those who are | | | | falsely accused and various advocate web sites. |
| falsely accused. These false allegations deter | | | | However, true prevention remains in the hands of |
| resources from the true crimes. Law enforcement | | | | the victim. Retaining legal counsel to fight the |
| spends valuable time and resources investigating | | | | accusations is still the most viable answer. The best |
| untrue claims, cluttering an already burdened work | | | | prevention against misuse of the system is to |
| load. What about the real victims suffering true | | | | identify and flag the abusers. The legal system will |
| abuse? How many are ignored while valuable time is | | | | deal with those who abuse it once they are identified. |
| spent researching untrue claims? | | | | The topic of spousal abuse, as a whole, represents a |
| The Penalties | | | | traumatic ordeal for all involved. Whether an honest |
| Normally, a penalty is reserved for a convicted | | | | victim, a wrongfully accused victim or a family |
| individual. However, a falsely accused individual suffers | | | | member caught in the battle, the situation is frightful. |
| immediate ramifications. These accusations can literally | | | | A victim of false accusation of spousal abuse suffers |
| destroy lives. The accused can be separated from | | | | the fate (whether short or prolonged) reserved for |
| home and family, endure legal proceedings and even | | | | guilty individuals. This ongoing problem for which the |
| incarceration. The expense of defending against the | | | | penalties are severe and the prevention slow makes |
| claim is daunting, not to mention missed work and | | | | victims of the innocent. |