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Rick Alan Ross
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Rick Alan Ross
Rick Alan Ross (born 1952) is an American deprogrammer, cult specialist, and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Cult Education Institute. He frequently appears in the news and other media discussing groups some consider cults. Ross has intervened in more than 500 deprogramming cases in various countries.
Ross faced criminal charges of unlawful imprisonment over a 1991 forcible deprogramming of United Pentecostal Church International member Jason Scott; a jury acquitted him at trial. In 1995, a civil lawsuit filed by Scott resulted in a multimillion-dollar judgement against Ross and his co-defendants. Later, Ross and Scott reached a settlement in which Ross agreed to pay Scott US$5,000 and provide 200 hours of professional services at no charge.
Ross was the only deprogrammer to work with members of the Branch Davidians prior to the Waco siege; some scholars later criticized his involvement with the siege.
Ross was born in 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956. His mother worked for the Jewish Community Center and his father was a plumber. He was raised and went to school in Arizona with the exception of one year that he was sent to the Camden Military Academy in South Carolina. He graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1971.
After high school, Ross worked for two years at a finance company and at a bank. In his twenties, during a period of unemployment, he got into legal trouble. In 1974, he was charged, along with a friend, for the attempted burglary of a model home. He pleaded guilty to trespassing and was sentenced to probation. In 1975, he was charged with grand theft, again with a friend, for embezzling over $50,000 worth of jewelry from a shop where the friend worked. All the stolen items were returned to the store; he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to four more years of probation, which was terminated early. While he was on probation, he worked for a cousin's car salvage business. During an interview with the New York Daily News in 2004, Ross said, "I was young and foolish and made mistakes that I deeply regret. I did whatever the court required, completed my probation in 1979, and the guilty verdicts were vacated in 1983. I have gone on with my life and never again got in that kind of trouble."
Ross became concerned about extremist organizations in 1982 when he learned that a fringe religious group had encouraged missionaries to become employees at his grandmother's nursing home where they were targeting elderly residents for conversion to Messianic Judaism. According to Ross, the missionaries were threatening Jewish residents, many of whom had survived persecution in Europe, that they would burn in hell if they did not convert. Ross told this to the home's director and the local Jewish community and campaigned to have the group's activities stopped.
Following the incident at his grandmother's nursing home, Ross continued his involvement in the organized Jewish community and worked with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix to write a brochure on the cult phenomenon in Arizona. This led the Union for Reform Judaism to appoint Ross to two national committees focused on cults and inter-religious affairs and he also volunteered as a lecturer and researcher for the denomination.
In 1983, Ross started working for Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS) in Phoenix as the coordinator for the Jewish Prisoners Program, which he founded. His work in the prison system covered social services for Jewish inmates, advocating for their religious rights, and providing education regarding hate groups. In addition, he chaired the Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs, the umbrella organization for an international group of human services agencies providing assistance to Jewish inmates and their families. He also served on the religious advisory committee for the Arizona Department of Corrections and was later elected as its chairman. From his work in the prison system, Ross discovered that prisoners were a prime target for cult groups and through his role on the religious advisory committee, he helped develop a policy on proselytizing to inmates. He also worked for Phoenix Bureau of Jewish Education, designing a curriculum and teaching.
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Rick Alan Ross
Rick Alan Ross (born 1952) is an American deprogrammer, cult specialist, and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Cult Education Institute. He frequently appears in the news and other media discussing groups some consider cults. Ross has intervened in more than 500 deprogramming cases in various countries.
Ross faced criminal charges of unlawful imprisonment over a 1991 forcible deprogramming of United Pentecostal Church International member Jason Scott; a jury acquitted him at trial. In 1995, a civil lawsuit filed by Scott resulted in a multimillion-dollar judgement against Ross and his co-defendants. Later, Ross and Scott reached a settlement in which Ross agreed to pay Scott US$5,000 and provide 200 hours of professional services at no charge.
Ross was the only deprogrammer to work with members of the Branch Davidians prior to the Waco siege; some scholars later criticized his involvement with the siege.
Ross was born in 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956. His mother worked for the Jewish Community Center and his father was a plumber. He was raised and went to school in Arizona with the exception of one year that he was sent to the Camden Military Academy in South Carolina. He graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1971.
After high school, Ross worked for two years at a finance company and at a bank. In his twenties, during a period of unemployment, he got into legal trouble. In 1974, he was charged, along with a friend, for the attempted burglary of a model home. He pleaded guilty to trespassing and was sentenced to probation. In 1975, he was charged with grand theft, again with a friend, for embezzling over $50,000 worth of jewelry from a shop where the friend worked. All the stolen items were returned to the store; he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to four more years of probation, which was terminated early. While he was on probation, he worked for a cousin's car salvage business. During an interview with the New York Daily News in 2004, Ross said, "I was young and foolish and made mistakes that I deeply regret. I did whatever the court required, completed my probation in 1979, and the guilty verdicts were vacated in 1983. I have gone on with my life and never again got in that kind of trouble."
Ross became concerned about extremist organizations in 1982 when he learned that a fringe religious group had encouraged missionaries to become employees at his grandmother's nursing home where they were targeting elderly residents for conversion to Messianic Judaism. According to Ross, the missionaries were threatening Jewish residents, many of whom had survived persecution in Europe, that they would burn in hell if they did not convert. Ross told this to the home's director and the local Jewish community and campaigned to have the group's activities stopped.
Following the incident at his grandmother's nursing home, Ross continued his involvement in the organized Jewish community and worked with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix to write a brochure on the cult phenomenon in Arizona. This led the Union for Reform Judaism to appoint Ross to two national committees focused on cults and inter-religious affairs and he also volunteered as a lecturer and researcher for the denomination.
In 1983, Ross started working for Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS) in Phoenix as the coordinator for the Jewish Prisoners Program, which he founded. His work in the prison system covered social services for Jewish inmates, advocating for their religious rights, and providing education regarding hate groups. In addition, he chaired the Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs, the umbrella organization for an international group of human services agencies providing assistance to Jewish inmates and their families. He also served on the religious advisory committee for the Arizona Department of Corrections and was later elected as its chairman. From his work in the prison system, Ross discovered that prisoners were a prime target for cult groups and through his role on the religious advisory committee, he helped develop a policy on proselytizing to inmates. He also worked for Phoenix Bureau of Jewish Education, designing a curriculum and teaching.
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