618: Matt Long, Sex Crimes Prosecutor, Discusses LDS Church Child Abuse Policies and the Recent News Release Pt. 1
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.5 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 2 February 2016
⏱️ 77 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On February 1, 2016 the LDS Church re-released a media statement originally released in 2013 entitled “Effectiveness of Church Approach to Preventing Child Abuse.” In this press release (authored by Kirton & McConkie partner and LDS 1st Quorum of the 70 member Elder Von G. Keetch) the LDS Church claimed that "no religious organization has done more" to prevent child abuse, and touted their child abuse approach as "the gold standard" amongst all churches.
Immediately the Mormon Internet exploded with the stories of past and present victims of LDS-related sexual abuse, expressing sadness, frustration, feelings of invalidation, sickness, and (at times) horror over the church's statement/claims. For examples, see here, here, and here.
In this episode of Mormon Stories we interview Matt Long -- a criminal defense and victim's rights attorney who has considerable experience prosecuting (and defending) perpetrators of child abuse in Arizona -- many of which were within the LDS church system.
- In part 1 of this episode we discuss the mindset and techniques of child/sex abusers.
- In part 2 we discuss the recent LDS Church new release, and Matt's perspective on what the LDS Church could do to improve its approach to child/sex abuse.
More on Matt: Matt uses the skills he developed as a sex crimes prosecutor to protect victims' rights and represent victims in lawsuits against offenders and institutions, such as fraternities, schools, businesses, or churches, that allowed abuse to occur. When he's not arguing in court, Matt argues with the other infants on the infants on thrones podcast at infantsonthrones.com. You can reach Matt at 480-833-1113 or e-mail his paralegal at kristin@azlegal.com with any questions about victim representation.
Transcript
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| 0:32.0 | The Conqueror's |
| 0:36.0 | We kindly light a myth in circling glue. |
| 0:43.0 | Lead thou me on the night is dark and dark. |
| 0:49.0 | Hello and welcome to another edition of Mormon Stories Podcast. |
| 0:52.0 | I'm your host John DeLin. It's February 1st, 2016 and something really came out of the blue today that's kind of a big deal. |
| 1:00.0 | I swear I woke up this morning thinking to myself, there's got to be someone at LDS Church headquarters who's got a call of meeting and say, okay no more bad press. |
| 1:12.0 | Like we've had a lot of bad press over the past several years and it's time to just stop doing or saying things that are going to cause more problems and low and behold before I know it. |
| 1:26.0 | Again today February 1st, the LDS Church releases a news sort of a news alert or press release news release entitled effectiveness of church approach to preventing child abuse. |
| 1:43.0 | And it's basically I don't know like a 10 paragraph news release sort of explaining the church's approach to child abuse and it holds itself out as sort of as having an approach to child abuse that is the gold standard for. |
| 2:05.0 | You know for religious organizations and it makes the claim that no religious organization is done more than the LDS Church for child abuse and I was just honestly I almost didn't have the heart or the stomach to take this on. |
| 2:20.0 | I wondered if it was just going to kind of peter out but of course Facebook now has exploded. |
| 2:27.0 | This week just on the tail of last week exploding in its discussion of all the LGBT you suicides that have been going on in response to the November explosion where the LDS Church announces that it's no longer going to allow the children of same six married couples to be members and same six married couples are now immediately subject to apostasy charges. |
| 2:53.0 | So the first person that I thought of to contact in response to this this latest I don't know disaster, bruha, I don't know what to call it is Matt long. |
| 3:07.0 | Some of you will know that name others will know the name Matt but I'll just introduce Matt Matt has I've known Matt for several years he's an attorney he lives in Phoenix Arizona and I knew Matt because at some point Matt worked in the area of sexual of child sexual abuse sort of in the Phoenix area and so also some of you will know Matt long. |
| 3:36.0 | Because he is one of the main participants on the inputs on Throne's podcast which is a podcast we featured before so technically Matt this isn't your first appearance of more stories right. |
| 3:47.0 | Right I think it's my I think it's my second yeah but welcome welcome under these in auspicious circumstances. |
| 3:53.0 | Yeah I tell you when this when this hit today this really does hit close to home and it's something that I've been passionate about and interested in for seven and seven years now and so when it hit it. |
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