Criminalize false allegations or police reports

Liberty Justice
1

Federal Law Proposal: Criminalizing False Accusations and False Police Reports

Section 1: Title

This Act may be cited as the “False Accusation Accountability Act.”

Section 2: Definitions

For the purposes of this Act: Prosecution for alleged false statements doesn’t prohibit prosecution nor civil action for either slander or libel.

  1. False Accusation: An allegation made by an individual that a crime has occurred, knowing that such allegation is untrue.
  2. False Police Report: Any report made to law enforcement that falsely alleges the commission of a crime, whether made in person, in writing, or electronically.

Section 3: Prohibition of False Accusations and Reports

  1. It shall be unlawful for any individual to knowingly make a false accusation or file a false police report regarding the commission of a crime.
  2. Any individual found guilty of making a false accusation or false police report shall face penalties as outlined in Section 4 of this Act.

Section 4: Penalties

  1. Sentencing Requirements:

    • For a false accusation or false police report pertaining to a misdemeanor:
      • The individual shall be sentenced to the maximum penalty for the alleged misdemeanor plus an additional five (5) years of imprisonment.
    • For a false accusation or false police report pertaining to a felony:
      • The individual shall be sentenced to the maximum penalty for the alleged felony plus an additional ten (10) years of imprisonment.

  2. Cumulative Sentencing:

    • Each false accusation or false police report shall be treated as a separate offense. Sentences shall be cumulative for each reported crime and shall be served consecutively, not concurrently.

  3. No Reduction of Sentence:

    • Sentences imposed under this Act shall not be subject to reduction, waiver, or plea bargain to a lesser charge.

Section 5: Enforcement

  1. Law enforcement agencies shall be responsible for investigating alleged violations of this Act.
  2. Prosecutors shall prioritize the prosecution of false accusations and false police reports to ensure accountability.

Section 6: Effective Date

This Act shall take effect immediately upon enactment.

This proposal aims to ensure accountability for false accusations and reports, deterring individuals from misusing or weaponizing the criminal justice system while providing clear penalties for those who do so.

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How about this? Vote if you agree! False Allegations/False Accusations/Wrongful Convictions/False Witnesses

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I agree with this. I would only add two points. First, If there are multiple false statements about the same alleged crime they should be treated as a single crime. I don’t want to “protect” false accusers, but if someone whose scared of someone else, exaggerates what they did, and then repeats that exaggeration 10 times to 10 different cops, I’m not sure that justifies them having 10x the penalty they attempted to force on someone else. They certainly deserve to be punished, but 10x may be going overboard.
Second, if you want any hope of getting something like this over the finish line, you would need to be very explicit that the burden of proof against the false accuser is just as high as the burden of proof against the accused. In other words, if I testify against a murder and that fails to convict, I’m not suddenly in jeopardy of going to prison. You’d need the same “beyond all reasonable doubt” standard that I’d deliberately lied to convict me. The strongest argument against this kind of legislation is that it makes being a witness dangerous.

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