the fears of the law enforcement community that such victims are really psychotics who have in fact been abused, but have imagined such abuse to be occult related.
Are Trained Therapists Available to Assist Surviving Victims?
The existence of therapists specifically trained to deal with alleged survivors of occult-related abuse is the subject of yet another controversy. While the proponents of the indoctrination" theory discussed in The Occult Debate, Issue #6 do not question the sincerity of therapists who work with alleged survivors, they do question their training, motives and their methods. Without repeating the controversy at this point, it is important to note that counseling opportunities for survivors have rapidly increased over the past several years.
Summary
Investigators and therapists confronted with allegations of occult crime must be acquainted with the following issues:
1. Much debate currently exists about whether crimes committed in connection with an occult belief system should comprise a new crime category. Despite the debate, many occult cops and law enforcement agencies are specifically defining occult crime.2. If law enforcers and law enforcement agencies decide to define occult-related crime, then some clear distinctions should be made. Most importantly, occult crime should not be used interchangeably with the terms Satanic crime and ritualistic abuse which are types of occult crime. As such, they are not representative of the broad category of criminal activities presumably associated with the occult.
3. The two most common methods of occult crime perpetrators are intermittent and experimental dabbling and repeated physical, sexual, psychological, and/or spiritual assaults utilizing ritualism. Ritualism is the true believer's tool; he or she does not dabble. Dabbling and ritualism are both used by the true criminal.
4. The two most common motives for perpetrating occult crime are those committed by true believers and true criminals: true believers commit ritualistic crimes because they are required as part of a spiritual belief system; true criminals commit any type of crime to satisfy physical, sexual, psychological, social, and/or economic needs rather than their spiritual beliefs.
5. While there is little evidence to link certain crimes directly to occult belief systems, law enforcers generally assume at least seven crimes may have some relation to the occult: trespassing, vandalism, theft, graffiti, arson, animal mutilation and sacrifice, and extortion.
Another four crimes are the subject of debate in criminal justice circles: suicide, kidnapping, murder and human sacrifice, and ritualistic abuse.
6. Law enforcers and therapists are particularly concerned about the level of criminal involvement of the Youth Subculture Satanists. While some disagreement exists about the factors that propel them into Satanic activity and sometimes into Satanic crime, few disagree that these adolescents are most at-risk for dabbling and more serious entanglement in Satanism.
7. Ritualistic abuse, a type of occult crime alleged to be the special domain of Cult Satanists, is currently the most divisive issue within criminal justice circles. While few law enforcers debate either its existence or its increase, few agree about the extent of ritualistic crime committed specifically by Cult Satanists; the motivations of perpetrators; and the veracity of adult and child victims who claim to have survived ritualistic abuse at the hands of Cult Satanists.
8. The victimology of occult crime, especially ritualistic abuse, is an understudied and very controversial topic in both law enforcement and therapeutic circles.
Perhaps the most important point of this chapter is that the issue of occult crime is rife with several heated, emotional controversies. The major debates have been examined and the various "sides" have been explained. The investigator and therapist who deals with an alleged occult crime must, in essence, be an informed skeptic; that is, skeptical in the positive sense of the word. He or she must apply a healthy dose of skepticism when trying to unravel the controversies associated with occult crime. Indeed, to always take one approach over the other - to always believe an alleged occult crime is or is not part of a nationwide conspiracy; to always believe the perpetrator acted because of a commitment to an occult belief system or because he or she is truly a criminal; to always believe the victim is or is not telling the truth - gives the occult criminal the edge, ultimately hurts the victim, and undermines the investigative integrity of law enforcers.
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Crimes Against Animals: Where to Go for Help In California For assistance with a suspected case of animal mutilation or sacrifice, contact any of the following:
California Association of Animal Control Officers
Humane Society of the United States
Long Beach, Department of Health and Human Services
Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of |