Sacred Spaces, Complex Cases: What I Wish I'd Known About Investigating Crimes in Churches
This workshop examines how offenders weaponize religious authority and theology to silence victims and evade accountability. Participants learn to recognize spiritual abuse, identify institutional self-protection tactics, and apply effective corroboration and interviewing strategies in faith-based investigations.
Suggested Audience: Law enforcement
Full Description: Religious and spiritual themes are frequently weaponized by offenders to justify abuse, silence victims, and consolidate power within faith communities. For investigators without a background in these specific religious cultures, these dynamics can present significant barriers to justice.
This workshop provides a roadmap for recognizing "spiritual abuse"—a pattern of coercive, controlling behavior relying on a perpetrator's position of spiritual leadership. The session will equip investigators to identify specific theological distortions used to evade accountability and enforce internal secrecy. Participants will learn to identify institutional self-protection tactics, while acquiring practical strategies for corroboration and interviewing to competently navigate spiritual and religious complexities during the investigation.
Learning Objectives:
Identify patterns of spiritual abuse and theological distortions used to manipulate victims and derail investigations.
Recognize institutional resistance to investigation, including common internal gatekeeping mechanisms and self-protection strategies within faith communities.
Develop corroboration strategies to effectively investigate cases involving complex religious power dynamics.
Speaker(s): Crystal Nordby
