Everyone lies. But some falsehoods have graver consequences than others, such as lying to police about being a crime victim.
Regardless of whether you believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to stage a hate crime attack on him, the question on many people’s minds is why he — or anyone, for that matter — would lie about such a thing.
Smollett stands by his account that he was attacked on January 29 by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him and tied a rope around his neck. In a statement Thursday, he said he feels “betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”
But Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson said evidence suggests that Smollett “took advantage of the pain and anger of racism” to formulate a plan to promote his career.
“Why would anyone — especially an African-American man — use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” Johnson said Thursday at a news conference.
“How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile?”
The most common motivation is a desire for attention or sympathy
Few studies exist regarding the frequency of false allegations, and most of them focus on sexual assault.
Researchers and law enforcement say false reports in general are uncommon — “the exception, rather than the rule,” according to a 2012 FBI article.
One frequently cited study from 1994 found that a false report of rape appeared to serve three functions: providing an alibi, seeking revenge or obtaining attention and sympathy.
A more recent study reached a similar conclusion. In 30 confirmed false allegation cases over 15 years involving different offenses, attention or sympathy was the most common motivating actor, followed by providing an alibi or profit, according to paper published in the 2012 in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.