Government studies of ritual abuse
and Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA)

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Analysis of the ritual crime
report by the state of Utah, 1995

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Summary:

In 1992, belief in Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) had reached its peak and was starting to fade in the U.S. and Canada, largely:

	Because no police investigation had been able to uncover physical evidence of such abuse, and
	Because a near consensus was growing that recovered memory therapy (RMT) -- the prime source for memories of childhood sexual abuse and SRA, -- was extremely unreliable.

That year, Utah Governor Norm Bangerter recommended a $250,000 appropriation to fund an investigation by the Attorney General into ritual abuse and ritual crimes in the state.

In 1995-APR, at the conclusion of a two year study, the state Attorney General's Office issued a report by Lt. M.R. King & Lt. Marr Jacobson titled: "Ritual Crime in the State of Utah: Investigation, Analysis & A Look Forward." ₁ It found no hard evidence of Satanic Ritual Abuse in the state. But it found hundreds of cases in the state of people who recovered memories of abuse via RMT -- a suggestive therapeutic technique known for generating memories of events that never happened.

After some media concluded that the Utah study was a failure, "Rachel Hopkins" went public with her story of a childhood filled with ritual abuse. She had recovered memories of the abuse during RMT. Unlike the tens of thousands of other adults who had recovered memories in therapy, her case was unique: she had signed confessions by the perpetrators -- her parents -- and corroborating accounts from her siblings.

Topics covered in this section:

	1. General assessment of the report; Pages 2-5. Report preface.
	2. Introduction, Legislative concerns and funding, Goals & responsibilities of the Ritual Abuse Crime Unit, Occult groups
	3. Occult groups (Cont'd). Definitions. Symbols,
	4. Subtle forces. National perspective. Utah situation. Challenges.
	5. Recommendations. Conclusions. Exhibits.
	"Rachel Hopkins" story of ritual abuse

References used:

1. Lt. M.R. King & Lt. Marr Jacobson, "Ritual Crime in the State of Utah: Investigation, Analysis & A Look Forward", Utah Attorney General's Office, State of Utah, (1995) at: http://www.saferchildren.net/. This is a PDF file.

Copyright © 1996 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-AUG-15
Author: B.A. Robinson

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