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

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1991, Page 73
by therapists, law enforcement officers, and others who speak or write about the
aforementioned activities.
Two distinct problems arise from this usage. Identification of certain activities by reference to
one or another of these terms is often made without defining the term in question. The
connotation is left to the subjective perception or imagination of the listener. Further, many
different and diverse beliefs and practices are grouped into a single category, and referenced
with one or more of these titles. Both tendencies exacerbate and perpetuate the confusion
and debate that necessarily pervade subject matter as controversial as this. The terms used
to describe these various activities possess distinct meanings and should not be used
interchangeably. Additionally, the activities themselves are not inherently related and
reference to them as such makes quantification and analysis impossible.
This ubiquitous ambiguity necessitated of the task force that it define both the subject matter
to which it would devote itself and the terminology to be used in this study. While the term
“ritual crime” is used by many in conflicting fashion, it was adopted for the purposes of this
study with a specific and limited definition. Thus, throughout the course of the study and
within this report, “ritual crime” and “ritualistic crime” have been used to connote the criminal
behavior that is derived from or motivated by a specific spiritual belief system and the
practices or ceremonies with which it is associated. Dangerous activities associated with these
practices that are not presently prohibited by criminal law have been referred to as
“ritualistic” behavior.
In this context, the fact that commission of a crime involves some ritual or rituals does not in
itself make it a “ritual crime.” The use by some individual of a modus operandi in commission
of a criminal act would not cause such act to fall under the purview of this study. Only if these
acts are driven by, or are the result of, a spiritual belief system does “ritual crime” apply as
such term is employed by this task force. In no way is this definition meant to represent
universal application of the phrase. Rather, it provides the reader with a clear notion of the
task force‟s reference point in the study of this subject.
Other terms are applied in their more traditional fashion, unless accompanied by specific
explanation. Where “cult” is used in this report the term assumes the common definition of a
group engaged in an unorthodox system or community of religious worship. The occult may
refer to anything of a supernatural nature. While Satanism is of the occult, it is merely one of
many such supernatural belief systems. The use of this various terminology is not directed at
a specific group or belief system, nor does it necessarily carry with it connotations of criminal
conduct. To avoid undue inferences, occult or cult activity of a criminal nature is explicitly
referenced as such.
Substantive Issues Addressed
The task force assumed a sweeping responsibility in attempting to address this relatively
unexplored area of criminal justice. Concerns relating to ritual crime manifest themselves not
only in law enforcement and in the courts but also in schools and in the mental health
community. In seeking to examine and respond to these concerns the task force endeavored
to determine:
1. The prevalence of ritual crime in the Commonwealth.
2. The prevalence of other dangerous ritualistic activity that may not presently constitute a
crime.
3. The geographic concentration of such activity.
4. The nature of such activity whether it is associated with violent crime, crimes against
property, or other crimes, and to what degree.