Should (provably) false rape allegations be a criminal offense? Why/why not?

I'll provide my personal opinion once someone else have chimed in.

Honestly, I believe that if someone makes a false accusation of rape, then they deserve to get charged. The person in question would be wasting the proper authorities’ time (when there could be other emergencies they would be actually needed for), wasting the falsely accused’s time and ruining their reputation (both personal and professional) and they would ruin their own reputations as well. Especially in the military where all claims must be fully investigated if the “victim” calls for an unrestricted reporting. I’ve unfortunately known of some people that have actually made false claims which I would learn of later on in life, and the so called perpetrators’ had to suffer through the consequences even though they didn’t do anything. If you are willing to put other in jeopardy including those that were actually attacked and are waiting for the very help you stole away from them, then you should have to play the consequences. 

Yes.

Well, let me elaborate a bit at least.

If it is proven without reasonable doubt that a person has falsely accused another of rape, then yes.  In my opinion, accusing someone of something so heinous such as rape should be treated with the same criminal consequences for the crime they are falsely accusing someone of committing.  

People who falsely accuse others of rape are a part of the problem why victim blaming and disbelief happens in cases of rape.  It's downright ridiculous.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/09/false_rape_accusations_why_must_be_pretend_they_never_happen.html Check this article out.  It's a good one.

Well, I was hoping for a debate, but it seems like we're all on the same page.

It can be done, even withing the current perview of the law. If it can be proven that the accuser is lying, then that is perjury - at least if false testimony is given in court. And it should be prosecuted as such.

If I was a lawmaker, I would push for a "Criminal fabrication act" which states that filing a lawsuit or pressing charges against someone is, if proven to be a fabrication, grounds for being charged with the same sentencing parameters as the fabricated charge. So if you falsely accuse someone of misdemeanour larceny, you face a fine or a few weeks in jail. If you fabricate a rape charge, then years.

Furthermore, if someone accuses someone of rape after consentual sex, that is criminal exploitation of someone else's sexuality and should therefore also incur a status as a sex offender.

But I have a related question. Do people here believe that court cases surrounding charges such as these - fabricated or not - is coloured by misandry or misogyny?

I vote yes but that's because even though the system of America is  Innocent until Proven Guilty. Society is not. Most will attack the person accused up until they kill themselves or otherwise.

It might not be a rape case but there was a woman accused of being the one who killed her son and was brutally bullied until she killed herself. It came out she had nothing to do with it.

It's sad but I'm not sure what we could do about it other than punish the false accusers. 

Misandry or misogyny?  Most definitely.  

Misandry - men are physical creatures, can't control themselves, they are always the one raping women
Misogyny - women are asking for it, they can't defend themselves, they're innocent

All of this ^ is a load of shit.  The ratio of men raping women to women raping men is not as high as most people think.  And a woman is never asking to be sexually violated against her own will (at least not seriously!).  Men can control themselves - they aren't wild animals.  Etc. etc. etc.