Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 8, 1994 TAG: 9403080043
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NEIL CHETHIK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
So it was humbling to hear last month that Bernardin's accuser, 34-year-old Steven Cook, was dropping his charges after determining that his own memory was "unreliable." The case has woken me up to my own prejudices. And by highlighting the fragility of the human mind, it may also mark the beginning of the end of a McCarthy-like siege of thousands of American men.
Since 1984, when workers at a Los Angeles day-care center were charged with sexual abuse, attention to the issue has exploded. And mostly, that's been for the good. Because of it, millions of children and adults are discovering the source of their pain and confusion and getting the treatment they need to go on with their lives. Thousands of perpetrators, meanwhile - mostly men - have been locked up, away from other children they may have tried to destroy.
At the same time, however, in our frenzy to protect our children, we have sometimes trampled on the rights and reputations of at least a few good men. And just like the anti-communist campaigns of the 1950s, even when the charges were later dropped, or the man was acquitted, he often was tainted for life. Cook's recantation can change this. It can help us remember, even in the most heinous cases, the importance of withholding our judgments and ensuring fairness for both the accuser and the accused.
In child sexual abuse cases, this won't be easy. When children make such charges, it is natural to want to believe them. And there's good reason to do so. Studies indicate that the vast majority of kids are telling the truth in these cases.
But not all of them. Misleading questions by adults, faulty perceptions and simple fantasies all can result in false accusations. One joint study by researchers at UCLA and the State University of New York asked 72 girls, aged 5 to 7, about medical treatment they had received. Almost 10 percent of those who had not received genital or anal exams reported that they had. In a similar study of 3-year-olds, the false reports were even higher.
Even when the accuser is not a child, as in the Bernardin case, charges should be greeted with caution. The 34-year-old Cook "remembered" the abuse 18 years after the alleged crime, while under hypnosis. When he filed his lawsuit last November, he apparently believed the charges were true; he had passed two lie-detector tests.
But since then, Cook learned about the human mind's capacity to mix images, or even create them, while under hypnosis. He recognized the possibility that his own memory was playing tricks on him.
To their credit, both men handled the end of the case honorably. Cook dropped the charges, with apologies, and asked for nothing in return. He admitted that he shouldn't have filed suit in the first place. Bernardin responded by saying that he held no grudge against Cook and would continue to pray for him.
We can honor both men by remembering this case - and our own sense of fairness - the next time we hear of someone charged with a similar crime.
Men-tion
A 1986 study reported by the Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry found that 36 percent of sex abuse charges made during child-custody disputes were later found to be false. Male call
Men: Have you ever feared being falsely charged with child sexual abuse? All: How can we protect children from abuse while protecting the rights of those accused? Send responses and comments to the Men's Column, in care of the Features Department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.
by CNB