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A respected member of a middle-class community is accused by his children of sexual abuse. He denies the charges. Whom do we believe? Promise Not To Tell uses a gut-wrenching case set in a comfortable suburb of Salt Lake City as a context for a timely reexamination of our attitudes toward the accused and the accuser when sex is part of the equation. ISBN 1559743794
This startling documentary examines the Hadfield child abuse case in Lehi, Utah. In 1987, Allan Hadfield was convicted of numerous counts of sexually abusing his own children and other children in the Lehi community. For his crimes, Hadfield received the lightest allowable sentence, a ten-year probation. Despite the children’s testimony, community support for Hadfield was nearly unanimous. The local press portrayed the prosecution’s case as being based on hysterical fantasies drawn out of the children by incompetent therapists. The program probes this disturbing and complex case and analyzes how society’s attitudes about sexual abuse color its response towards victims. The influence of Freudian theory on society’s views of abuse is also discussed, illustrating the sometimes powerful tendency to deny truths to ugly to contemplate.
Promise Not To Tell –Also available on Amazon Prime was initially broadcast as part of the 1992 P.O.V. Television Series on National PBS. This one-hour television special examines prevailing public policy and society’s response to child sexual abuse. Rated as “Best Bet” for day of nationwide broadcast by New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times and others. Has been re-broadcast by several PBS affiliates in the United States and was selected for screening at INPUT International, Bristol, England and the AFI Women in Film Festival.
