Scientology Justice
Encyclopedia
The Scientology Justice system is the Church of Scientology
's internal means of assessing and dealing with violations of their code of ethics
. These violations include those outside of the Church as well as within it.
The Scientology Handbook, a compilation of texts by founder L. Ron Hubbard
, says "When the individual fails to put in his own ethics
, the group takes action against him and this is called justice" and also notes that "Man cannot be trusted with justice. The truth is, man cannot really be trusted with 'punishment'."
that deals with serious offenses. According to Scientology policy, the comm ev is only convened at a church member's request or when there is evidence of serious wrongdoing by a church member.
codes. A chairman, a secretary
, and two to five other members are chosen by the convening authority who must be "senior" to the accused. Their task is to read and hear evidence for and against the accused church member. They have two weeks to complete the comm ev. Comm ev policy explicitly bars any legal representation for the accused.
After reviewing evidence, the secretary and members vote on whether they think the accused church member is guilty
or not guilty of each of the presented charges. Conviction on a charge is by majority vote. The comm ev then recommends punishment, which in principle, must be done in accordance with L. Ron Hubbard's policies. The outcome of a comm ev is issued in a document called the "Findings and Recommendations". All comm ev members must sign this document whether they agree with it or not. The only means of recourse are: A review comm ev, where the committee is supposed to just listen to the recordings and review the documents of the original comm ev, then issue new Findings and Recommendations, a petition by the accused church member to have the comm ev cancelled, which is directed to an executive highly-placed in the church hierarchy or a Board of Review in which the charges are reviewed by newly appointed comm ev members. Both the Board of Review and the Review Committee of Evidence have the option of making new recommendations.
Comm ev members face being comm ev'd themselves if the convening authority believes they were not aggressive enough in pursuit of the comm ev findings.
Note – HCOPL is an abbreviation for Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, the senior administrative policies of the Church of Scientology.
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
's internal means of assessing and dealing with violations of their code of ethics
Ethics (Scientology)
According to the Church of Scientology, "Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice."...
. These violations include those outside of the Church as well as within it.
The Scientology Handbook, a compilation of texts by founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, says "When the individual fails to put in his own ethics
Ethics (Scientology)
According to the Church of Scientology, "Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice."...
, the group takes action against him and this is called justice" and also notes that "Man cannot be trusted with justice. The truth is, man cannot really be trusted with 'punishment'."
Committee of Evidence
A committee of evidence is usually referred to by the abbreviated term, "Comm Ev" and is a tribunalTribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
that deals with serious offenses. According to Scientology policy, the comm ev is only convened at a church member's request or when there is evidence of serious wrongdoing by a church member.
Administrative procedure
Administratively, the comm ev is initiated by a convening authority, usually the LRH Communicator of the organization. This person does so at the request, usually, of another church executive who makes formal accusations of violations of church ethicsEthics (Scientology)
According to the Church of Scientology, "Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice."...
codes. A chairman, a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, and two to five other members are chosen by the convening authority who must be "senior" to the accused. Their task is to read and hear evidence for and against the accused church member. They have two weeks to complete the comm ev. Comm ev policy explicitly bars any legal representation for the accused.
After reviewing evidence, the secretary and members vote on whether they think the accused church member is guilty
Guilty
Guilty commonly refers to the feeling of guilt, an experience that occurs when a person believes that they have violated a moral standard.Guilty or The Guilty may also refer to:-Law:*Guilty plea, a formal admission of legal culpability...
or not guilty of each of the presented charges. Conviction on a charge is by majority vote. The comm ev then recommends punishment, which in principle, must be done in accordance with L. Ron Hubbard's policies. The outcome of a comm ev is issued in a document called the "Findings and Recommendations". All comm ev members must sign this document whether they agree with it or not. The only means of recourse are: A review comm ev, where the committee is supposed to just listen to the recordings and review the documents of the original comm ev, then issue new Findings and Recommendations, a petition by the accused church member to have the comm ev cancelled, which is directed to an executive highly-placed in the church hierarchy or a Board of Review in which the charges are reviewed by newly appointed comm ev members. Both the Board of Review and the Review Committee of Evidence have the option of making new recommendations.
The Comm Ev in practice
In a lecture given on 2 August 1970, Hubbard admitted that Comm Evs were very unpopular with Scientologists: "..This, of course, requires something that is very unpopular, which is a comm ev."Comm ev members face being comm ev'd themselves if the convening authority believes they were not aggressive enough in pursuit of the comm ev findings.
Court of Ethics
A court of ethics is convened by an ethics officer or church executive senior to the church staff member being charged. The offenses being accused are of non-serious nature and the sentences are at the discretion of the person who convened the court of ethics. The court is not supposed to engage in investigation, but rather operate only on known evidence.See also
- Ethics (Scientology)Ethics (Scientology)According to the Church of Scientology, "Ethics may be defined as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing. When one is ethical, it is something he does himself by his own choice."...
- List of Scientology Security Checks
- Suppressive personSuppressive PersonSuppressive Person, often abbreviated SP, is a term used in Scientology to describe the "antisocial personalities" who, according to Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, make up about 2.5% of the population...
- DisconnectionDisconnectionDisconnection, when used in Scientology, is a term used to describe the severance of all ties between a Scientologist and a friend, colleague, or family member deemed to be antagonistic towards Scientology. The practice of disconnection is a form of shunning. Among Scientologists, disconnection is...
- Fair GameFair Game (Scientology)The term Fair Game is used to describe policies and practices carried out by the Church of Scientology towards people and groups it perceives as its enemies. Founder L. Ron Hubbard established the policy in the 1960s, in response to criticism both from within and outside his organization...
List of source references
Note – HCOPL is an abbreviation for Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, the senior administrative policies of the Church of Scientology.
- HCOPL 7 September 1963, Committees of Evidence, Scientology Jurisprudence, Administration of
- HCOPL 22 September 1963, Concerning Committees of Evidence
- HCOPL 7 February 1965, Keeping Scientology Working Series 1
- HCOPL 24 February 1965, Addendum to HCO Policy Letter of 7 Sept. 63 Committees of Evidence, Scientology Jurisprudence, Administration of
- HCOPL 26 May 1965, Courts of Ethics
- HCOPL 17 July 1966 Issue II, Evidence, Admissibility of in Hearings, Boards or Committees
- HCOPL 7 March 1965RB Issue I, revised 8 January 1991, Suppressive Acts Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists
- HCOPL 24 February 1972, Injustice
- 700802-1 A Short Briefing to Guardians Office Technical Personnel, 23 minutes into the lecture