Why would anyone lie about being a victim of a crime?

"How could anyone look at the hate and suffering associated with this symbol and see the opportunity to manipulate this symbol to improve its public profile?"

The most common motivation is a desire for attention or sympathy

There are few studies on the frequency of false allegations and most of them relate to sexual assault.

A frequently cited 1994 study found that a false rape report seemed to fulfill three functions: providing an alibi, seeking revenge or getting attention and sympathy.

But it goes further than that

The reasons people seek to attract attention or sympathy can be complex and multifaceted, according to three experts who spoke with CNN. They generally explained why people could falsify reports, based on their research and clinical experiences, but none of them spoke to Smollett or were involved in the case.

"It's about winning – something that enriches or incites a person to avoid certain responsibilities or consequences," said clinical psychologist and forensic Jeff Gardere.

The clinical term for this type of behavior is simulation, which describes someone who falsifies or exaggerates the disease for external benefits, said Gardere, an assistant professor of osteopathic medicine at Touro College.

"They know what they do, they understand at a conscious level why they do it."

Others may suffer from a psychological problem that prevents them from fully understanding the impact of their actions, Gardere said.

"They basically know what they're doing.They know they're doing it to attract attention, but they're not conscious at a conscious level that what they're doing is weird." "

Without knowing the details of a case, it is difficult to know if anyone is motivated by antisocial tendencies or mental illness. In any case, a person who is planning a crime may already feel victimized, said Dr. Gail Saltz, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Weill-Cornell School of Medicine at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

They may think that being a victim of a crime will bring them the attention they feel they deserve, she said.

When people are going through difficult times in their lives, they may consider themselves victims of their situation, she said. They may also experience trauma, depression or stigma because of their race or sexual orientation, Saltz said.

Claiming victim status can be a way to gain sympathy, recognition or treatment from the people they are looking for, she said.

"They may feel they have been abused by the system in which they live," she said.

"Maybe they've been psychologically injured, so it does not seem that far from what's really happened to them, but it's what they need to demonstrate," she said. declared.

According to Robert Klitzman, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, the context of a false allegation can give clues to motivation, especially in the case of alleged hate crimes.

People can organize crimes to draw attention to a cause that is close to their hearts, such as prejudice against a particular group, he said. "People may think that their cause is not receiving the attention it should have."

Potential rewards can be attractive

Whether it is sympathy, attention or work or study leave, these ancillary benefits are called secondary payoffs.

In medicine, the term refers to the positive external motivations that a patient feels while being sick or injured.

Victims of crime can benefit from similar benefits, such as financial support or a boost in their careers, Klitzman said.

"Of course, the problem is that people do not think about the disadvantages," said Klitzman.

"Lying about a crime committed in front of the police is a crime for which you are then legally and financially responsible."

What about the consequences?

False claims have negative consequences, but not for the reasons you might suspect.

The plaintiff is often accused of a crime similar to that of filing false report or perjury. Penalties vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction – fines for community service and, in some cases, jail time – depending on the resources used.

Some analysts have expressed concern that the false allegations will lead law enforcement authorities to not treat reports seriously. But the Chicago police chief reassured the public on Thursday that his force would continue to take all hate crime complaints seriously, as well as Smollett's.

His concern, he said, is that the public sees reports of hate-motivated crimes "with a higher level of skepticism" than previously because of the media attention that this case has received.

CNN's legal analyst, Joey Jackson, has expressed similar concerns about the potential impact of the case on the willingness of victims to make themselves known. "It's hard enough to make people come forward for a variety of reasons, so there's a fear that advertising around these cases will discourage them."

But the real impact of the publicity surrounding the allegations of false reports on the victims is not clear.

Lawyers and lawyers working with victims of hate crimes said that the real problem is that hate crimes are underreported for a variety of reasons that seem to have nothing to do with false allegations.

"A highly publicized and controversial case is an exception," said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, a human rights group that tracks hate crimes across the country .

"The most common problem, which should grab the attention of law enforcement and make it one of the most important titles, and which should be the thread of our endless flow of social media, is the undisputed problem of under-reporting of hate crimes. "