Cults, extremist movements, and the child custody evaluation: Pitfalls and strategies

Abstract

The potential for extreme harm in cults (most specialists eschew the term "cult" in favor of more accurate and descriptive terms such as "high-demand group" (HDG), "extremist movement," or, at a minimum, "destructive cult" to distinguish them from benign, harmless, and typically loose-knit groups such as the "Elvis cult" or a "surfing cult;" however, in an effort to keep this manuscript simple, the author employs the term "cult" to mean an HDG or destructive cult, unless otherwise stated) is, sadly, well documented. Two hundred and seventy-eight children perished in Jonestown in 1978; all but three were ruled homicides (according to the Guyanese court which had jurisdiction in the matter, as reported in December 12, 1978), almost all killed by their parents or legal guardians. Of the 11 Move members who died in their 1985 confrontation with Philadelphia police, 5 were children. During the siege and subsequent destruction of David Koresh’s Branch Davidian cult compound in Waco, Texas, 28 children died. The removal of over 400 children from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound near Eldorado, Texas, was eventually described as a debacle for the Texas Child Protective Services department; all but a few were eventually returned to their FLDS families. Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted of child sexual abuse, is reported to still be leading his cult from his prison cell.