Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
3-2007
Abstract
Gary Alan Fine and Jeffrey Victor (1994) defined “legend trips” as inherently delinquent juvenile activities at geographic sites associated with some tragic event, rumored to be supernatural or related to the occult. “Satanic tourism” is a type of legend trip characterized by juvenile involvement in pseudo-Satanic/occult behavior, such as drawing pentagrams, writing epithets, and burning candles. A juvenile may visit a geographic location such as an abandoned church, historic graveyard, or reputedly “haunted” site, and engage in mischievous, destructive, or “ritualistic” behaviors as “rites of passage.” These activities, which often are relatively harmless and conducted primarily for juvenile thrills, may be perceived by law enforcement and the larger community as threatening and dangerous. This presentation will consist of student research, conducted as part of the requirements of CJ 390: Special Topics: Goth and Occult Influence on Juvenile Violence (Spring 2007), and will include photos and stories of legend trip sites and associated juvenile delinquency in Topeka, Kansas and the surrounding region.
Recommended Citation
Crews, G., Adame, A., Andrews, R., Boye-Doe, K., Green, J., Kirby, S., Onazi, O., Schalansky, J., Urban, C., Zabokrtsky, J. "Legend Tripping as Field Research: Investigating the Connection of “Satanic tourism” to Juvenile Delinquency" Apeiron 2007, Washburn University Undergraduate Student Research Series. Topeka, Kansas. Mar 2007.
Comments
The presentation was delivered during the Apeiron 2007, Washburn University Undergraduate Student Research Series which took place from March, 2007, in Topeka, Kansas.
©2007 the authors. All rights reserved.