Once in jail, the falsely accused person is at serious risk of being physically or sexually assaulted by violent inmates or correction officers. If the accused has a chronic medical condition such as a heart problem requiring regular medications to be taken daily, a poorly-trained and badly-equipped medical department at a jail significantly increases the risk to his physical health. Lapses in adequate medical care may contribute to an inmate’s rapid decline in health, and at worst, premature death.

Even if the falsely accused defendant makes bail – either by posting a bond or being released on his or her own recognizance – and is released until trial, he or she could still be fired, and therefore be unable to work. Without an income, being evicted from an apartment or losing a home is a frightening, and very real, possibility. An innocent person falsely accused may have to go deeply into debt to pay legal expenses, a financial hole from which one may never be able to escape. In short, their lives can be physically or virtually destroyed, simply because an accusation of a crime was made, be it a sex crime or any other criminal act.

In view of these facts, it is entirely accurate to say that false accusers are guilty of depraved indifference to human life, even if the accused survives unjust arrest and incarceration. If the accused does not survive the brutal experience of incarceration whilst being held in jail  awaiting trial, that false accuser becomes guilty of murder in the second degree. That is precisely why anyone who commits such a cruel offense against someone he or she knows to be innocent is no better than a terrorist, and by law, must be held criminally responsible as such. A felony offense of "terrorism by extortion" would finally make that accountability possible.

The definition of this proposed new felony offense doesn’t have to be more complicated or difficult to understand than other criminal laws currently on the books. It simply spells out what the offense is, how it is committed, and the penalty for the offense. The terms and penalty for terrorism by extortion can read as follows:

A. An accused shall be guilty of terrorism by extortion if he or she takes deliberate action against, or recklessly threatens any person regardless of age with, a known false accusation or allegation of a sex crime or any other criminal act, so as to inflict physical, emotional or financial injury to the person deliberately and falsely accused of such criminal activity.

1. The accused causes serious bodily or mental injury to the complaining witness by knowingly, intentionally, maliciously or recklessly making a false accusation or allegation of sex crime or other criminal act to police officer, police detective, prosecuting attorney, and/or any other member of law enforcement.

2. The act is accomplished against the complaining witness by knowingly, intentionally, maliciously or recklessly making an accusation against or threatening the complaining witness with a false accusation or allegation of a sex crime or other criminal act to police officer, police detective, prosecuting attorney, and/or any other member of law enforcement.