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primarily of minor property crimes and is committed largely by “dabblers.”
 Existing criminal statutes in Virginia are adequate to address dangerous conduct that may
result from participation in unconventional belief systems.
 The ritual crime phenomenon has its greatest overt impact in the field of mental health.
As a result of and in accordance with these findings the task force made the following
recommendations:
 That the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services develop a model curriculum
addressing ritual crime for Virginia‟s law enforcement officers.
 That the Crime Commission‟s continued research on youth gangs be tracked and reviewed
for findings and ultimate recommendations.
 That the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse
Services coordinate research efforts relating to the ramifications of ritual abuse in the
mental health field.
 That law enforcement personnel act in cooperation with appropriate agencies in the
investigation and prosecution of claims involving ritual abuse of persons.
 That school personnel and social service workers be provided objective and accurate
information on ritual crime.
 That the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services establish a definitional standard
and review development of a separate reporting category for ritual crime.
Study Design
The subject matter of HJR 147 being of a broad and amorphous nature, the methodology
necessary for fulfillment of the resolution‟s mandate was by necessity incremental. Prior to
specific investigation into particular activity the task force required establishment of
definitional terms and an understanding of the allegations surrounding cults and the occult in
order to determine the study‟s parameters and have a context for relating certain activity to
study objectives. Consequently, an initial research project into the issues surrounding occult-
and cult-related crime was instigated.
This research was initiated by reference to a vast array of literature addressing the occult
generally, numerous specific groups, allegations of ritual crime, and discussion and analysis of
these issues. The project was both guided and augmented by interviews and correspondence
with individuals who are schooled in and have gained substantial exposure to this area of
study and concern. As the work of the task force progressed, further literature was amassed
while the focus of the research was properly narrowed and honed.
Upon establishment of study parameters, three statewide surveys of law enforcement
agencies, school divisions, and licensed mental health practitioners, respectively, were
distributed. These surveys requested information relating to the respondent‟s awareness of
ritual crime activity, its prevalence, the nature of such activity, responses to such activity, and
opinions as to legislative or other action which should be taken to address the activity, based
on the respondent‟s respective area of expertise. A subsequent statewide survey of juvenile
detention facilities and regional and local social service agencies was also made, seeking
similar information and emphasizing treatment concerns.
Selected respondents from these surveys were interviewed personally and by telephone.
Additionally, the field for interviews was expanded to include counselors in public school
systems. The purpose of such interviews was to confirm information obtained through
surveys, provide greater detail and analysis of such information, and permit an update of the
information.

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1991, Page 72
The task force requested and received the public testimony of experts who had engaged in
extensive research directly related to this area of study and heard testimony from other
interested parties who chose to appear before the task force. The task force received further
confidential information relating to investigations or alleged criminal conduct from numerous
persons in private hearing pursuant to Section 9-134 of the Code of Virginia.
Throughout the course of the study, consultation with interested parties and with
academicians and professionals was maintained. Reliance was made upon organizations at the
local, state, and national level that research and respond to ritualistic crime. Additionally,
training seminars, workshops, and similar meetings dealing with ritualistic crime and related
issues were reviewed. While such programs provided an expanded base of information about
alleged ritualistic activities and options for responding to such activity, they also offered an
opportunity to gauge the perceptions and knowledge of those who lecture, teach, and attend
these meetings.
Literature Review
Because the Crime Commission‟s investigation into ritualistic crime necessitated a broad
familiarity with the subject as a whole, initial stages focused heavily on the review of
literature dealing with the occult, cults, and ritualistic practices arising from spiritual belief
systems (particularly unconventional beliefs). The research dealt with four broad categories of
interest:
1. Various spiritual belief systems and their historical bases.
2. Sources purporting to substantiate specific cases of dangerous ritualistic activities, or
otherwise reporting allegations of such activity.
3. Scholarly works describing unconventional belief systems, analyzing ritualistic practices or
consequences of such practices, or proffering solutions to adverse consequences arising
from these belief systems.
4. Formal studies seeking to quantify the existence of a problem with ritualistic behavior, to
identify the nature or causes of such problem, or to propose alternatives for responding to
the adverse effects of ritualistic crime.
The initial research objective involved definitional concerns. In order to properly differentiate
between various belief systems it was necessary to gain some understanding of their goals
and philosophies. To ascertain the scope of ritual crime an examination of the numerous
allegations was required.
This understanding also provided the basis for evaluation of claims regarding specific groups
engaged in ritualistic practices. Ultimately, the sources helped to identify both the causes of
ritual crime and approaches for response to it. As the study progressed, subject matter was
narrowed considerably to focus on current research efforts, recent accounts of ritualistic
abuses, and other newly published materials.
A list of references is appended to this report. While not exhaustive, this reference list
includes those sources cited most often, as well as those the task force found to be most
credible and relevant to this study. Inclusion of a particular source does not represent an
endorsement by this task force of the work or its author.
Definitional Issues
Too often literature, or speakers, dealing with the subject of ritual abuse, “deviant” religious
practices, and criminal acts motivated by nontraditional belief systems utilize language that is
insufficiently defined, and perhaps in some cases deliberately vague, to refer to their subject
matter. Such terms as “occult,” “cult,” “cultism,” “satanic,” and “ritualistic” are regularly used