People who commit animal cruelty are five times more likely to commit other crimes than non-animal abusers, and those crimes are likely to be violent. That’s according to studies by scholars from Michigan State University.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters is reintroducing legislation that would fund studies on the link, support efforts stop animal cruelty and rehabilitate offenders.
He stresses the connection between animal abuse and future violence is so strong the FBI started collecting data on it as part of their profiles on mass shooters and serial killers.
However, it’s often treated as an isolated issue and animal cruelty cases are under-reported and under investigated. There are few programs available for juveniles involved in animal abuse to specifically address their mental health needs.
The bill would help ensure animal abuse is treated with urgency as a community issue and offer strategies for intervention for offenders to reduce the likelihood of future violence.
