If you think rape prosecutions can be problematic, consider "domestic violence." The statutes have been written so broadly, and the police are under so much pressure to make arrests -- that the whole scheme has become a farce. Typical scenario: Woman gets mad at guy and starts hitting him, guy tries to grab/subdue woman. Neighbors a upset at noise and call cops. Cops are under a mandate to make arrests. So they arrest one party or the other pretty much at random (dual arrests are 'verboten'). Next week the alleged victim is trying to recant, the DA doesn't care, the cop has already picked the 'loser'.... I'm not talking about "beatings" but about he said/she said situations with no outside witnesses and no clear physical evidence. I routinely see people arrested for domestic violence for "pulling on a shirt" or "brushing past" someone on the way through a door.
A conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence means, to start, you can basically never possess a firearm for the rest of your life. No military, no security jobs, no hunting, etc. The way this crime (or the allegatio) is handled is a crime unto itself.
