This is good news. It’s well documented that those who abuse animals will very soon move on to human victims.
Here are a few articles on the connection between animal abuse, mental problems and future abuse of humans.
http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/abuse_connection.php
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/pets/article10.html
http://www2.webmagic.com/abuse.com/index7.html
Here’s an article on kids and animal abuse:
http://geari.blogspot.com/2006/01/animal-
abuse-can-be-sign-childrens.html
Two bills drafted to protect animals
Time to get tough? Petitions show broad support
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/13745475.htm
BY BRENT D. WISTROM
Eagle
More than 73,000 Wichitans have signed petitions supporting tougher laws for those who abuse animals. More petitions will be delivered to lawmakers this week.
Animal advocates say highly publicized cases such as those involving Magnum and Scruffy are just examples of the abuse people at veterinarians' offices and humane societies see every day.
"The situation with Magnum may never had been brought to light had the veterinarian not decided to keep it alive," said Ellen Querner of
Whoever brutalized Magnum, if caught, would likely receive a misdemeanor charge under
Senate Bill 408, supported by Humane Society of the
The bill has exceptions, including for veterinary practices, research, hunting, rodeos, euthanasia, population control and animal control. It leaves animal treatment guidelines up to state and private organizations that already have standards.
A separate bill, Senate Bill 402, was drafted by Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, and has been endorsed by 16 other senators. It makes animal cruelty a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum 15-day sentence and requires anyone convicted to undergo a psychological evaluation, become a registered violent offender and submit a DNA sample. It has exceptions, including for hunting, ranching, rodeo and slaughter.
A second offense would draw felony charges.
The Humane Society and other animal advocates say that extreme cases of abuse should be felonies and that there are few second convictions because those who brutalize animals are rarely caught.
Journey, however, said legislators need to make sure their laws don't have any unintended consequences, such as charging a kid who shoots the neighbor's dog with low-power BB gun with a felony.
"Nobody wants to give some 12-year-old kid a felony for doing something stupid that doesn't really injure an animal," he said. "Well, maybe somebody does."
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Wichita, said she was given nearly 73,000 signed petitions from Magnum Force of KS, in support of Senate Bill 408. Most of the signatures were collected in
McGinn said the Legislature needs to pass a bill that sends a message that animal abuse won't be accepted.
"I think they have a very good chance of getting passed," she said. "The communities are just outraged."
Senators on the judiciary committee expect a packed room on Thursday when hearings on the two bills open.
Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it's likely one of the bills or a combination will emerge.
"I think there's a pretty good chance they'll come out of committee," he said.
Though the Humane Society and Querner think Journey's bill is too weak, Querner supports the part of the bill that requires convicted animal abusers to submit DNA swabs.
Brian Withrow, an associate professor of criminal justice at
"It is the most common thread throughout violent serial offenders' lives," he said. "We don't understand the psychosis behind it, what leads them to do this in the first place. But it is clearly a pattern."
Withrow said many violent serial offenders want to seek help but don't know how to. Not all animal abusers become killers. But Withrow said psychological evaluations and counseling offered in proposed legislation could intervene in some people's lives before they move on to serious crimes against people.
"Criminality is the most difficult thing in the world to predict," he said. "But (animal abuse) is such a common element in the lives of serial offenders that I think we need to capitalize on that."
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