Wikipedia:Mediation Cabal/Cases/2007-03-06 Steven Alan Hassan/Controversy3

Deprogramming
In a research paper presented at the 2000 Society for the Scientific Study of Religion conference, Anson Shupe, professor of Sociology at Indiana/Purdue University, and Susan E. Darnell, manager of a credit union, state Hassan had participated two involuntary deprogrammings in 1976 and 1977.

Hassan confirms that he took part in a number of involuntary deprogrammings in the late 1970s. In one of them a Unification Church member, Arthur Roselle, was kept tied in his home for two days Regarding this, Hassan states that Roselle had already been secured by his family before Hassan arrived. Despite Hassan's claim that Arthur Roselle was tied before he arrived, Joanne Roselle's affidavit states that her "son (Arthur) became violent when confronted by his family friends, and the two ex-members of Unification Church, Steven Hassan and Ellen L. Hassan," and they "were were forced to tie his hands and legs so as not to do damage to himself and others." Joanne Roselle's affidavit indicates that Hassan was present when Arthur Roselle was tied. Hassan then states that Roselle decided to leave, but Roselle's mother begged him to stay and talk to Roselle. Hassan then asked Roselle to listen to what Hassan had to say, and if Roselle then wanted to return to the Church he was free to do so. Roselle agreed to listen.

Arthur Roselle's account in a sworn affidavit also contradicts this account. According to Roselle, "Hassan aided, abetted, and conspired in my kidnapping and in my subsequent false imprisonment." Roselle also charged Hassan with actively assisting in depriving him of sleep, insulting and humiliating him, and treating him like "a captured animal in a zoo," as well as attempting to coerce him into signing a false affidavit exonerating Hassan of the kidnapping claims.

Hassan states that he spent one year assisting with deprogrammings before turning to less controversial methods (see exit counseling). Hassan has spoken out against involuntary deprogramming since 1980. He states that he has not participated in any deprogrammings since then. However, in Combatting Cult Mind Control, he states that deprogrammings can be kept as a last resort if all other attempts fail.

Andy Bacus, an attorney for the Unification Church, against which Hassan testified to Congress, told the Illinois Senate Committee on Education on December 7, 1993 that:

"Steve Hassan ... is an ex-member of the Unification Church who was involuntarily deprogrammed. He has spent the last 15 years deprogramming other persons. Mr. Hassan has been most active recently in providing 'exit counseling' to members of the Boston Church of Christ. Like other 'exit counselors', Hassan relies on the mind control theories of Margaret Singer to justify his actions."

Rick Ross
Hassan became involved in a dispute with fellow cult critic Rick Ross when Ross posted a disclaimer on his Web site after receiving what he stated were “serious complaints” regarding Hassan’s fees for his services. Hassan responded that the charges were “inappropriate and completely inaccurate,” stating that Ross had misstated Hassan's current fees. Ross's response was that Hassan's fees "were $500.00 per hour and/or $5,000 per day" but that after "Hassan publicly posted his fee schedule, which was reduced to $250.00 per hour and/or $2,500.00 per day...the RI disclaimer was taken down." Hassan stated that "my current fees are not $500 as Ross claims. I charge half that for an hour of counseling and have done so for quite some time."