Is It True Animal Abuse Leads To Murder

The stories are heartbreaking—a small Chihuahua tied up and kicked around like a soccer brawl, an emaciated horse with a deep wound to his hind leg—and as numerous as they are sickening to hear. What'southward more, these cases of creature cruelty and neglect are oft precursors or accompaniments to acts of farthermost violence confronting humans as well.

Intentional Animal Torture and Cruelty (IATC) offences oft brainstorm in childhood or adolescence. Its psychological roots are usually in antisocial or psychopathic personality disorders.¹ Though it is often an expression of rage, IATC is besides used as a tool to coerce, control, and intimidate human targets—ordinarily family members, including children and the elderly. Abusers punish their victims by tormenting their pets, or threaten dear animals with cruelty in order to proceeds victims' compliance or silence.

Precursors to Violent Law-breaking and Accompaniments to Domestic Abuse

Reprehensible in themselves, these acts are almost always precursors to violent offense directed at humans. Researchers accept continued children's abuse of animals to bullying, aggression, school shootings, and sexual abuse. Through these activities, children who feel powerless torment their ain victims to gain a sense of control and power for themselves. Moreover, FBI research indicates that most series killers, schoolhouse shooters, and mass murderers tortured animals as children.

Another grade of corruption, dogfighting, is likewise tied to criminal behavior across the harm to the animals. In addition to illegal gambling, dogfights are often accompanied by illegal drugs and weapons, assaults, and fifty-fifty homicides, often involving gang members.

Class A Crimes Requiring Response and Prosecution

In every state, animal cruelty is a crime, requiring response and prosecution; in 2014 the FBI announced that information technology would upgrade it to a course A law-breaking. The public is fully supportive of law enforcement response and prosecution—in fact, dispatchers report that calls from witnesses to animate being cruelty are often very emotional. Invariably, these community members are horrified and perceive the trouble as a crime requiring police response.

But most importantly, these crimes are windows into the home, indicators of domestic abuse and other criminal activities, likewise every bit windows into the psyche, providing opportunities to forestall future crime by directing early abusers into appropriate social services.

The challenge of how to detect IATC, answer to, and prevent it was addressed at a 2015 forum on Animal Cruelty as a Gateway Crime, hosted by the National Sheriff's Association in partnership with the COPS Function and the National Coalition on Violence Confronting Animals. The discussion focused on the often overlooked correlation between IATC and other serious crimes as well every bit the need for comprehensive officer grooming in all aspects of beast cruelty and methods for detecting information technology.

Recognizing the Signs of Cruelty and Neglect

Meeting participants noted that officers can acquire to recognize the indicators of cruelty or criminal neglect. In add-on to abnormal behavior—such equally extreme aggression or shyness—and obvious signs of trauma, these indicators include lack of nutrient, water, or sanitation. If the animal is caged or tied up so closely it cannot stand, especially if chains or locks are embedded in its skin, or it is left in an abandoned belongings, the animal is beingness neglected or abused. The presence of besides many dogs on the holding could exist a sign of dogfighting.

Officers responding to calls for domestic corruption should keep in mind that if pets are nowadays, they may be mistreated too, and wait for the aforementioned indicators equally those above. Information technology would be helpful to ask the individuals in the home, including the children, what happens if their pets misbehave, if their pet is salubrious, and other questions that can reveal corruption or neglect of family members every bit well as their pets. Officers can document these indicators through photography or interviews, and phone call for a forensic veterinary to collect evidence.

In all cases, detection, response, and prosecution of these crimes is disquisitional—not only to end the suffering of helpless animals, merely to prevent the commission of boosted or hereafter crimes by their tormentors. IATC is the gateway to acts of farthermost, remorseless violence, and must be as vigorously addressed as any other criminal offense.

Faye Elkins
Sr. Technical Author

For more information:
Creature Cruelty
Animal Cruelty every bit a Gateway Criminal offence
Dogfighting: Community Action Guide

References:
i.Mark Griffiths, "The Psychology of Creature Torture," In Backlog [blog], Nov 23, 2016, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/united states of america/blog/in-excess/201611/the-psychology-animal-torture.

Source: https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/04-2019/animal_cruelty.html

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