Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1950-2002 · 52 years · show in timeline

United States, John Jay Report of 2004 on sexual abuse by Catholic priests and deacons 1950 to 2002

On behalf of the US Bishops' Conference, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice surveyed the abuse allegations in all dioceses and religious orders of the United States from 1950 to 2002. 4392 priests were accused, 3 to 6 percent depending on the region; 10,667 people made allegations, 81 percent of the victims were male, the largest group 11 to 14 years old. 149 priests were responsible for 2960 victims. Only 252 priests were convicted, around 6 percent of the accused. By then the Church had paid over 500 million dollars.

Period
1950-2002 (52 years)
Report published
1 January 2004
Country
United States
Institutions
Catholic Church in the United States
US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
Category
Sexual abuse
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. A total of 10,667 people made allegations. The largest group of victims (50.9 percent) were between 11 and 14 years old, 16 percent 8 to 10 years and almost 6 percent younger than 7; 81 percent were male. According to the files, siblings were also affected in 17.2 percent of cases.
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10)
    „A total of 10,667 individuals made allegations of child sexual abuse by priests.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10). Original
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 12)
    „The largest group of alleged victims (50.9%) was between the ages of 11 and 14, 27.3% wer e 15-17, 16% were 8-10 and nearly 6% were under age 7. Overall, 81% of victims wer e male and 19% female.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 12). Original

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. For 1950 to 2002 there were allegations against a total of 4392 priests that had neither been withdrawn nor were known to be false. According to the figures of the research centre CARA, this was 5 percent of diocesan priests and 2.7 percent of religious priests; regionally the proportion was between 3 and 6 percent.
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10)
    „The total number of priests with allegations of abuse in our survey is 4,392.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10). Original
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10)
    „The CARA numbers yield a total of 5% of diocesan priests fr om 1960-1996 with allegations of abuse and 2.7% of r eligious priests from 1960-1996 with allegations of abuse.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 10). Original
  2. The police were contacted about only 1021 priests, 24 percent of the accused; 384 cases led to charges, 252 priests were convicted and at least 100 went to prison. Thus about 6 percent of the accused were convicted and about 2 percent received prison sentences.
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 13)
    „To date, the police have been contacted about 1,021 priests with allegations of abuse, or 24% of our total.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 13). Original
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 13)
    „Thus, 6% of all priests against whom allegations wer e made were convicted and about 2% received prison sentences to date.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 13). Original

What happened to those affected?

  1. 149 priests with more than ten allegations each are said to have abused 2960 victims, a quarter of all allegations. For some victims the abuse lasted several years.
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 12)
    „were allegedly responsible for abusing 2,960 victims, thus accounting for 26% of allegations“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 12). Original
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11)
    „in 10.2% between 5 and 9 years“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11). Original

Background

Who received the assets, who profited?

  1. The dioceses and orders reported costs of 472 million dollars for victims, treatment of priests and lawyers; 14 percent gave no information. With a settlement of 85 million dollars that became known, the Church's payments came to over 500 million dollars.
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11)
    „for legal expenses r eported in our surveys was $472,000,000“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11). Original
    Evidence: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11)
    „If we include the $85,000,000 r eported settlement, the total cost paid by the chur ch exceeds $500,000,000.“
    The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, Executive Summary (PDF-S. 11). Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Commission report
    John Jay College of Criminal Justice, im Auftrag der United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950–2002, 1 January 2004. Original (retrieved 15 Oct 2026)
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