The overturning of Harvey Weinstein’s conviction sends a powerful signal to sexual assault survivors.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for jury deliberations in his rape trial on Feb. 24, 2020, in New York
It is ironic at best that, in a case that inspired millions of women to speak openly about unreported sexual assaults — crimes they never sought justice for in large part because of our unresponsive, broken system — the court overturned this conviction on the grounds that jurors would not need additional testimony because they could get it right without it.
The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network estimates that out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, only 310 are reported to police, 50 lead to an arrest and 28 lead to a felony conviction. That’s less than 3%done by my team at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation found just 10% to 20% of sexual assaults reported to Chicago police have led to arrests.
New York does allow prior bad acts to show a defendant’s intent. The Manhattan trial judge allowed prosecutors to introduce additional witnesses who were victimized by Weinstein, but whose cases were never charged to show Weinstein’s intent to commit sexual assault and that he could not have mistaken the acts as consensual.
Our culture routinely gives men who cause harm the benefit of the doubt — that they were simply confused or there were mixed signals or that they truly thought something was consensual. I see it every day in my work.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Payne remains hospitalized after cardiac episode more than a week agoKyle Stewart is an associate producer covering Congress for NBC News.
Read more »
Rep. Donald Payne remains hospitalized after ‘cardiac episode' more than a week agoRep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J. remains hospitalized following a 'cardiac episode' in early April stemming from complications tied to his diabetes, his office…
Read more »
Ex-Louisville coach Kenny Payne rejoins John Calipari at ArkansasFormer Louisville coach Kenny Payne, who served on John Calipari's staff at Kentucky from 2010 to 2020, will serve as Calipari's associate head coach at Arkansas.
Read more »
Every Alexander Payne Movie, RankedEven when Alexander Payne's acid and empathy leave the Midwest, his characters never do. Here is every Alexander Payne movie ranked:
Read more »
Democrat Donald Payne Jr. Dies After Hospitalization for 'Cardiac Episode'Democratic Rep. Donald Payne Jr., 65, represented New Jersey's 10th Congressional District for six terms, serving since 2012.
Read more »
Gov. Phil Murphy announces death of NJ Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. following hospitalizationHe was elected to NJ-10 in 2012 after his father, the state's first Black congressman, died of cancer.
Read more »