A historical and theoretical look at ritual abuse laws Part III: Applying an integrated conflict model analysis to the California McMartin Case

Abstract

This article further examines the social construction of ritual abuse statutes
within the Integrated Conflict Model perspective. With content analysis findings based on a qualitative, historical phenomenological interpretation, this piece examines the formation of ritual abuse laws in California. Examining circumstances surrounding the satanic panic that took place in the mid-1980s to early 1990s, the article reviews the McMartin Preschool case. It supports previous research indicating the formation of ritual abuse laws involves structural foundations, public perceptions of crime, triggering events, and counter-triggering events.