programs recognized bv the state require that an offender admitrnhis guilt before treatment can begin, Hadficld has neverrnconceded his guilt. Dr. Robert Card, the therapist appointedrnto preside over Hadficld’s treatment, had already administeredrnseveral tests to Hadfield and had found him to be vibrantlvrnnormal.rnThe state Attorney General’s office sought a writ that wouldrncompel Judge Christcnsen to send Hadfield to prison. Thernstate’s petition was denied by the state Supreme Court; shorth’rnthereafter the state discontinued its investigation of Lehi.rnSome Lehi residents established a committee to examinernSnow’s record and to collect testimonies from those who feltrnabused bv the state. The examination of Snow’s record byrnprivate investigators revealed that she had been involved inrnchild abuse scandals in two other Utah communities, hi eachrnof the scandals children were sent to Snow for treatment, andrnafter secral months of “therapy” they would ventilate accusationsrnagainst their fathers, hi each of the scandals, the children’srnstories would be first wildly contradictory and then homogenized.rnWhen an individual was named as an “abuser” byrnone child, other children would quickly mimic the accusation.rnSnow had participated in the investigation leading to therncon’iction of Arden Brent Bullock, who was found guilty ofrnthree counts of child sodomy in 1986. Bullock appealed hisrnconiction, claiming that Snow had suborned false accusationsrnfrom deluded children. The Utah State Supreme Courtrnupheld Bullock’s conviction in 1989, but Justice I. DanielrnStewart offered a significant dissent: “I am aware that child sexrnabuse crimes are heinous. They often leave lifetime scars . . .rnbut in the natural rush to protect children from abuse, it isrnessential that judicial procedures designed to sift truth from errorrnnot be compromised or perverted.” According to Stewart,rnreliable studies had documented that 55 percent of all childrnabuse reports are false. But Stewart’s comments nierelv ricochetedrnoff Snow’s impregnable sense of moral superiority.rnAddressing Stewart’s dissent during a Salt Lake City meetingrnof child abuse professionals. Snow said that the opinion reflectedrn”ignorance” about the issue of child sex abuse and remarked,rn”Justice Stewart’s comments reflect a position forrnwhich there is no professional consensus . . . his commentsrndisplay the belief that children can be made to make false allegationsrnwhen questioned in a therapeutic atmosphere ofrnsupport [in which the therapist] shows sympathy, encouragementrnand compassion. I’hose displays of support do not constituterncontamination.” But the proper question—one whichrnSnov’ reflcxivcly avoided—is this: should therapists be allowedrnto act as criminal investigators?rnLast vear, Utah public television presented a “documcntarv”rnentitled “Promise Not to Tell,” which could be consideredrnthe “official history” of the Lehi episode. Lhe film was soggvrnwith social purpose: “expert” after “expert” was called upon tornsustain Snow’s labors with professional opinions. No newrnfacts were disclosed, and Hadficld’s supporters shown in thernfilm were used only as polemical clay pigeons to be shot downrnby the “experts.”rnAlan Ihidfield has remarried and acquired stepchildren.rnHe continues with his probation and his efforts to obtain arnnew trial. Gilbert Athay, Hadheld’s present attorney, believesrnthat the state is in possession of documents that will exoneraternLladfield. I’hosc documents—which include affidavits regardingrnSnow’s techniques and professional history—are beingrnreviewed by Judge Christcnsen. As reopening the Hadfieldrncase would leave the state vulnerable to criticism for its handlingrnof the episode, there is little hope that a new trial willrnoccur any time soon.rnBarbara Snow continues to work as a “therapist” in Utah, althoughrnher professional standing was considerably damaged byrnthe Lehi scandal. No new allegations of sexual abuse haverncome from Lehi since Hadficld’s conviction; the state niavrnconsider this to be a vindication of its efforts to “send a message”rnto abusers. But the conviction of Alan Hadfield hasrnsent a tragically useful message of a different variety: oncernthe state has committed itself to a child abuse investigation, itsrnprestige requires that somebody be punished.rnHousernby John Nixon, Jr.rnThe major timbers of the familyrn{i.e., the parents, aunts, and uncles) havingrnCollapsed, the flimsy cousins, each well onrnThe way to strangerhood, lay scattered allrnAround. They were—predictably—picked uprnBy carpenters with alien blue prints.rnJANUARY 1993/27rnrnrn