Satanic Panic: Legal outcomes for persons accused of ritual child sexual abuse
Abstract
Abstract: The Satanic Panic was a phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s characterized by legal cases marked by aggressive and suggestive interviews of children who were believed to be victims of serious and specific forms of sexual abuse. Many individuals were accused of bizarre and implausible acts of Satanic ritual abuse and sexual violence against very young children, prompted by moral panic and parents’ fears of harm. These allegations resulted in a range of legal outcomes, including dropped charges and acquittal, conviction, and later exoneration, as these offenses and their investigation were subsequently questioned and deemed illegitimate. In this study, we examine societal and contextual factors contributing to the Satanic Panic, legal outcomes for those accused of these crimes, and comparisons between these and other cases of sexual abuse of children that have been similarly exonerated. To date, 60 people who were convicted of these offenses have been exonerated by the US court system. Others accused in these same cases were acquitted or had their charges dropped prior to trial, while some remained incarcerated. In this poster, we will use descriptive and regression analyses to examine the characteristics of these persons and their cases, including demographic and case characteristics. In addition, we will compare those exonerated for these offenses to nearly 300 persons exonerated of other child sexual abuse cases, again using descriptive and regression analyses to understand differences in these individuals, their cases, and the court proceedings that led to initial conviction. We anticipated that cases associated with Satanic Panic will disproportionately include female suspects, multiple victims per case, problematic interrogation and investigative practices, and reliance on false allegations and co-defendant confession to result in wrongful conviction. This study aims to highlight systemic vulnerabilities and inform evidence-based interviewing and legal practices to prevent wrongful convictions in socially charged abuse investigations.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 12:00 PM
Room Number
Culp Ballroom 316
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Subtype
Posters - Competitive
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Student Type
Graduate and Professional Degree Students, Residents, Fellows
Faculty Mentor
Jill Stinson
Satanic Panic: Legal outcomes for persons accused of ritual child sexual abuse
Culp Ballroom 316
Abstract: The Satanic Panic was a phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s characterized by legal cases marked by aggressive and suggestive interviews of children who were believed to be victims of serious and specific forms of sexual abuse. Many individuals were accused of bizarre and implausible acts of Satanic ritual abuse and sexual violence against very young children, prompted by moral panic and parents’ fears of harm. These allegations resulted in a range of legal outcomes, including dropped charges and acquittal, conviction, and later exoneration, as these offenses and their investigation were subsequently questioned and deemed illegitimate. In this study, we examine societal and contextual factors contributing to the Satanic Panic, legal outcomes for those accused of these crimes, and comparisons between these and other cases of sexual abuse of children that have been similarly exonerated. To date, 60 people who were convicted of these offenses have been exonerated by the US court system. Others accused in these same cases were acquitted or had their charges dropped prior to trial, while some remained incarcerated. In this poster, we will use descriptive and regression analyses to examine the characteristics of these persons and their cases, including demographic and case characteristics. In addition, we will compare those exonerated for these offenses to nearly 300 persons exonerated of other child sexual abuse cases, again using descriptive and regression analyses to understand differences in these individuals, their cases, and the court proceedings that led to initial conviction. We anticipated that cases associated with Satanic Panic will disproportionately include female suspects, multiple victims per case, problematic interrogation and investigative practices, and reliance on false allegations and co-defendant confession to result in wrongful conviction. This study aims to highlight systemic vulnerabilities and inform evidence-based interviewing and legal practices to prevent wrongful convictions in socially charged abuse investigations.
