Why victims don't go to the police

Self-blame in Scientology doctrine and practice
Scientologists, abused by the cult are indoctrinated to blame themselves and rarely turn to the police. One ex-scientolgist likened this to "battered spouse syndrome".

Indeed, the phrase "pulled it in" is a commonplace in Scientology, used to express the belief that Scientologists personally create bad experiences, which can only be alleviated through a more devoted practice of Scientology. As one 'ex-scientologist' put it, the cult "inspires in the victim the idea that they will not survive without the cult Once that has been done - how can the person call the police and possibly destroy something that they now believe is their only saving grace?"

This process of blaming oneself starts early in scientology training, when practitioners are taught to believe they have personal power over 'Matter, Energy, Space, and Time". Because the individual controls his personal reality, anything bad that happens is something "they pulled in".

This notion is reinforced by Scientology "auditing", a confessional pseudo-therapy that implements a rudimentary lie detector called the "E-Meter". Attached to the "E-Meter" Scientologists contemplate their "time-track" which includes their current life-time and also many past life-times. Reviewing their "time-track", Scientologists uncover significant, often negative, often traumatic, experiences - they "pulled in". Those experiences may relate to negative events in this lifetime, but it's not uncommon for Scientologists to learn that they were once Nazi prison guards engaged in horrific practices or Roman centurians who plunged a spear into Jesus Christ. Whatever the veracity of these events, Scientologists are conditioned to believe they are solely responsible for their actions as far back as 75 million years.

This "pulled it in" indoctrination is so pervasive that it's hardly surprising that victims blame themselves for the cult's abuses and avoid the police or other authorities -- "battered spouse syndrome"

Mistrust of police
Fear that the police department may be infiltrated by the cult is another reason Scientologists avoid the protection of public authorities. In cities where Scientology as a pronounced presence, (such as Clearwater, FL and Hemet, CA) this concern has validity. In those locations, Scientology employs off duty police officers and fellow Scientologists may work in public administration. In those situations, the fear that a complaint made to the authorities might be leaked back to Scientology Executives is possibly legitmate.

If a complaint is leaked back to cult officials, punishment is a virtual certainty. Scientology doctrine forbids members from contacting outside agencies and the penalties for doing so are harsh. A Scientologist caught contacting the authorities would be security checked on the "E-meter" and expected to make a full confession. They would be placed in "lower conditions" and forced to do hard labor on the cult's "Rehabilitation Project Force" or put into one of the cult's work camps.

Another reason a cult victim might hesitate to contact the police is the realization that the public authorities have historically left the cult alone. Agencies such as the various Housing Authorities, Labor Boards, and Health and Human Services have had little impact on the squalid conditions Scientology staff and Sea Organization members endure. It's not unlikely that a Scientology victim might be skeptical that these agencies would be of any real help.

It's also true that many Scientologists are entirely unaware that these agencies exist. Scientologists who have spent their lives in the cult or born into it are entirely cut off from the outside world. A recent escapee relates that the weak AM radio in his digital music player was his only connection to information outside the cult's control.

Protracted litigation
It's difficult to find an attorney willing to take a case against Scientology, so those Scientologists who do have familiarity with the outside world often fear that legal redress would be impossible. Scientology staff and Sea Organization members, paid less than $100 a week, have no money to mount a legal assault. On a contingency basis there is little potential reward for an attorney willing to represent a victim of Scientology. As a result, few lawyers are willing to represent a victim of Scientology abuse. Longtime Scientologist, Ida Campburn tried to engage a number of attornies and summarized their unwilling refrain, "Life is too short to be against the Church of Scientology... You cannot afford us and we cannot afford you". The likelihood of a Scientology victim finding adequate representation is very slim. As a result, few make the attempt.

Disconnection from family and friends
For main article go to Disconnection

What may be most significant in preventing victims of Scientology from seeking from the Police or public authorities is the fear of being disconnected from their families. Any Scientologist contacting outside authorities would be excommunicated and declared a "suppressive person". Any family members inside Scientology would be forced to cut-off all communication with the relative lodging a legal complaint.

Spiritual banishment
Scientologists believe that their immortal souls or Thetans are dependent on participation in the cult. To save their individual souls, wives shun all contact with husbands, fathers disconnect from sons, mothers cut-off daughters, brothers disown brothers. Victims who contact public authorities risk their own immortal soul and carry the burden of being forever disowned by their family members. On those terms, it not difficult to see why cult victims might be hesitant to 'call the police.'

Stating this existential dilemna rather profoundly, one ex-scientologist wrote: