Satanic Panic: An Examination of Wrongful Convictions and Child Sex Abuse Hysteria in the US in the 1980s and 1990s
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 311
Start Date
4-5-2024 3:30 PM
End Date
4-5-2024 4:30 PM
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Jill Stinson
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Psychology
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Abstract or Artist's Statement
In the 1980s and 1990s, an influx of child sexual abuse cases impacting groups of identified victims were marked by grotesque claims of satanic ritual abuse. One of the largest and oldest of these cases occurred in Kern County, California. The children's claims, which includes reports of satanic rituals, lead to the arrest of at least 30 people who had allegedly engaged in group-based victimization of dozens of children. Later, 20 persons convicted of these offenses would be exonerated following the discovery that children had been coerced by authorities and provided false narratives of sexual abuse. During this era of hysteria and panic, others found themselves in similar circumstances and were convicted of heinous and unbelievable crimes, only later to be exonerated. These cases were marked by aggressive and suggestive interviews of children who were believed to be victims. Their claims were levied usually against dozens of people and generally included bizarre and implausible claims, frequently featuring satanic ritual abuse and extreme acts of sexual violence. These cases were also marked by panic among parents of young children, some of whom engaged in leading and suggestive questioning of their own children. Sexual offenses, particularly involving children, often elicit strong emotions and a desire for justice, which may contribute to coercive interrogation tactics, tunnel vision, and disregard for other forms of evidence to the contrary. A range of characteristics may introduce bias into investigative and trial procedure, including race, age, and gender of alleged perpetrators, as well as the nature of the crime and public reactions to it. Here, we examined cases of exoneration during the child sex abuse hysteria era in the US and how characteristics of exonerees, victims, and public stigma are associated with wrongful conviction. We hypothesized that differing contributors would be associated with various forms of individual and situational bias. Of 919 exonerations for sexual crimes since 1989, 57 were categorized as child sex abuse hysteria cases. Child sexual abuse hysteria exonerees were predominantly male (54.4%) and either Hispanic (15.8%) or White (78.9%). Overall, exonerees in child sex abuse hysteria cases were 18.6 times more likely be female, 2.8 times more likely to involve victims of both genders, and 1.6 times more likely to have multiple victims, in comparison with other forms of sex offense exonerations. Additional factors associated with prosecution and exoneration during the satanic panic and child sex abuse hysteria era in the US will be discussed. Our findings demonstrate a need for careful and empirically-based child interviewing techniques, as well as a need for thorough investigation of sensational claims of sexual and other forms of child abuse.
Satanic Panic: An Examination of Wrongful Convictions and Child Sex Abuse Hysteria in the US in the 1980s and 1990s
D.P. Culp Center Room 311
In the 1980s and 1990s, an influx of child sexual abuse cases impacting groups of identified victims were marked by grotesque claims of satanic ritual abuse. One of the largest and oldest of these cases occurred in Kern County, California. The children's claims, which includes reports of satanic rituals, lead to the arrest of at least 30 people who had allegedly engaged in group-based victimization of dozens of children. Later, 20 persons convicted of these offenses would be exonerated following the discovery that children had been coerced by authorities and provided false narratives of sexual abuse. During this era of hysteria and panic, others found themselves in similar circumstances and were convicted of heinous and unbelievable crimes, only later to be exonerated. These cases were marked by aggressive and suggestive interviews of children who were believed to be victims. Their claims were levied usually against dozens of people and generally included bizarre and implausible claims, frequently featuring satanic ritual abuse and extreme acts of sexual violence. These cases were also marked by panic among parents of young children, some of whom engaged in leading and suggestive questioning of their own children. Sexual offenses, particularly involving children, often elicit strong emotions and a desire for justice, which may contribute to coercive interrogation tactics, tunnel vision, and disregard for other forms of evidence to the contrary. A range of characteristics may introduce bias into investigative and trial procedure, including race, age, and gender of alleged perpetrators, as well as the nature of the crime and public reactions to it. Here, we examined cases of exoneration during the child sex abuse hysteria era in the US and how characteristics of exonerees, victims, and public stigma are associated with wrongful conviction. We hypothesized that differing contributors would be associated with various forms of individual and situational bias. Of 919 exonerations for sexual crimes since 1989, 57 were categorized as child sex abuse hysteria cases. Child sexual abuse hysteria exonerees were predominantly male (54.4%) and either Hispanic (15.8%) or White (78.9%). Overall, exonerees in child sex abuse hysteria cases were 18.6 times more likely be female, 2.8 times more likely to involve victims of both genders, and 1.6 times more likely to have multiple victims, in comparison with other forms of sex offense exonerations. Additional factors associated with prosecution and exoneration during the satanic panic and child sex abuse hysteria era in the US will be discussed. Our findings demonstrate a need for careful and empirically-based child interviewing techniques, as well as a need for thorough investigation of sensational claims of sexual and other forms of child abuse.