# Why were the suspects in the satanic abuse cases convicted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 23, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083 "2012-06-23T16:33:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/21 "2012-06-25T20:50:07Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > And [Gerald Amirault](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fells_Acres_Day_Care_Center_preschool_trial) spent 20 years in prison. Thanks for that link. I was unfamiliar with that case, but it seems like a repeat of the McMartin one, using the same misleading techniques as Kee MacFarlane: > [@](#): > > The bulk of the evidence was developed through videotaped interviews conducted by Susan J. Kelley, a pediatric nurse. The children repeatedly told interviewers, including Kelley, that nothing happened to them, that there were no secret rooms, and there was no clown. However, the questioning continued and eventually the children claimed all these things happened. One police officer, John Rivers, said at a seminar that interviewing the children was “like getting blood from a stone.” > > \ > > The only allegations made by the child witnesses occurred after they were subjected to the admittedly suggestive interviews, and investigative techniques, as well as inappropriate - even if understandable - influence by their families. Moreover, neither behavioral symptoms nor physical evidence which may be consistent with child sexual abuse were revealed until after the children and their families were subjected to these improper interviewing and investigative techniques. These alleged symptoms were only discussed after the families were overwhelmed by the panic, hysteria and media attention that snowballed this case into national headlines and widespread concern about ritualistic sexual abuse of children. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/22 "2012-06-26T01:46:34Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Thanks for that link. I was unfamiliar with that case, but it seems like a repeat of the McMartin one, using the same misleading techniques as Kee MacFarlane: And you know what is so very evil here? Those kids were convinced those horrible things happened to them. In other words, Kelly and her ilk perpetrated those horror on the kids, in all but reality. She;s still working in the field today, rather than behind bars as she deserves. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/23 "2012-06-26T01:59:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And you know what is so very evil here? Those kids were convinced those horrible things happened to them. > > In other words, Kelly and her ilk perpetrated those horror on the kids, in all but reality. She;s still working in the field today, rather than behind bars as she deserves. I heartily concur. I presume you are familiar with [Elizabeth Loftus’](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Loftus) work? ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/24 "2012-06-26T05:04:58Z")
> [@grude](#): > > [Satanic panic - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse) > > Why did the justice system fail so spectacularly here? I have seen a documentary where the accused are made to appear totally innocent, and the claims made by the children and supposedly coached from them so outlandish they should never have been unchallenged in court(abuse occuring in flying airplanes during the time the children were in daycare, thousands of corpses buried and never found, genitals cut off and reattached etc). > > I’m open to info here on what if any is missing from the usual coverage. I was on a grand jury for 6 months, hearing various cases. For all but one, folks question the evidence, question the statements of police officers and witnesses, question motives, etc. The one exception was the child abuse case. The kid testified, and as far as anyone was concerned, that was it (true, the videotape did help, but there was nothing graphic about it, just panty shots). Still, there was a definite mood change. When you sit in that box and look at just how little that child is, relating how she was touched by the individual, you are really struck by just how vulnerable a child is, and you want to protect them. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/25 "2012-06-26T11:16:14Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > When you sit in that box and look at just how little that child is, relating how she was touched by the individual, you are really struck by just how vulnerable a child is, and you want to protect them. And the prosecutors count on that reaction. Child abuse accusations often provoke a knee-jerk response in sympathetic humans, which colors, filters and distorts presented evidence. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/26 "2012-06-26T12:39:09Z")
While fundie Christians did indeed contribute to the Satanic panic. I saw way more stories about it on Geraldo & Oprah than on the 700 Club & like shows. And it was fund’ist investigative reporters working for CORNERSTONE Magazine that brought down hoaxsters Lauren Stratford & Mike Warnke. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/27 "2012-06-26T15:36:22Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I have seen a documentary where the accused are made to appear totally innocent, and the claims made by the children and supposedly coached from them so outlandish they should never have been unchallenged in court(abuse occuring in flying airplanes during the time the children were in daycare, thousands of corpses buried and never found, genitals cut off and reattached etc). The one that blew my mind when I read about the McMartin preschool was the allegation that zoo animals were somehow involved! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083/28 "2012-06-26T17:31:05Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > At the time it was not well understood how recovered memories could be induced, so juries tended to believe the supposed testimony of children to respected authority figures. IIRC those who first started challenging the accuracy or recovered memories were accused of supporting child molesters. > > In some case I think that religious people saw denial of Satanic cults as denial of Satan and thus Christianity. Not the biggest factor, but certainly one. Also, the early 80s were as well a peak of a collateral panic in the USA about _ **cults** _ in general, that had been building since the time of Charlie Manson but exploded full blast after Jonestown. A lot of concern that youth was being taken away and brainwashed for nefarious purposes by Moonies, Children of God/Family of Love, Synanon, what have you. The notion of “deprogramming” was in the general discourse. So it fit the mental narrative of many people for years to come. Thing is, at the time those cases were being reported, as soon as allegations of bizarre Satanic rituals were brought in, \*\*\*I \*\*\*would start doubting the case’s credibility. But that may have just been because even then I was aware that most predators/molesters do their evil along the Sandusky/Father Geoghan model, not as a major Cirque d’Sicko production show. That juries and prosecutors were willing, even eager for the latter to be the case, was amazing to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-suspects-in-the-satanic-abuse-cases-convicted/626083.md?page=1)