8 Ways the Legal System Screws Rape Victims (Like Me)

http://www.cracked.com/article_21910_8-ways-legal-system-screws-rape-victims-like-me.html?utm_source=FBTraffic&utm_medium=fijifrost&utm_campaign=CMfacebook

There’s a scientific reason most people don’t believe rape victims. Certain traumas can be so severe that they actually change the way that your brain processes and stores information. The chunks of your brain responsible for decision-making and memory shut themselves down, for the same reason your computer shuts itself down when the hard drive gets too hot — you don’t want to do any permanent damage. Unfortunately, this means the victim sometimes behaves like they’re lying: Police say that rape victims often exhibit the classic behavioral cues of a liar, which makes them instinctively doubt their story, no matter what the evidence says…

My therapist even offered me sessions completely devoted to preparing for a “not guilty” verdict. Because, as they knew, only two percent of rapists will ever spend a day in prison…