Homicide rates in America are now reaching over sixteen thousand this year alone and over two million reported cases of assault. There is a strong need for action to be taken to help lessen these unnecessarily high numbers. One of the most effective ways to keep these numbers low is to attack at the source of the issue. As said by the representatives over at PAWS,
People Helping Animals (2014), animal cruelty is often the gateway for criminals to commit even more heinous crimes (PAWS, 2014). According to ALDF (2014), an organization that fights for animal abuse, multiple studies have shown that there is strong correlation between violent crimes and animal abuse. By having these people exposed to heartless and cruel acts, it allows them to fill
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A study last year by Dr. Phillip Kavanagh examined the association between the "Dark Triad" and attitudes towards animal abuse. The data collected showed a relationship between the psychotic trait and intentionally trying to hurt animals
(Griffiths, 2014).
Many cases depict the link between murderers and animal abuse. For example,
Patrick Sherrill killed fourteen other coworkers at a post office and then shot himself. Local police said he had a history of kidnapping pets and having his dog attack and mutilate them.
Another case is with Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped, stabbed and killed a seven year old boy.
He was known throughout the neighborhood as the man who put firecrackers up dogs rectums and tied up cats. More well known cases are with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who shot and killed twelve other classmates at Columbine High School before turning their guns on themselves and committing suicide. Friends reported that they enjoyed bragging about mutilating animals before they went on their rampage. Albert DeSalvo, also known as the Boston
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Two years ago, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals formed a mobile crime unit. They're consisted of a mobile veterinary hospital with a forensics lab that travels around the country to law enforcement agencies to uphold animal rights laws. In Illinois and several other states, animal hospitals are required to report any suspicious activities to the authorities. Some states are even thinking about creating a online registry, the same used for sexual offenders and arsonists. This would allow couples to find the ideal place to start a family and have their loved ones around a safe environment (Seibert, 2010). According to the animal welfare institute, they claim that a recent decision by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will soon include animal cruelty as a group A offense. This category is the same one for arson, burglary, kidnapping, and homicide. Animal Cruelty will be also included in the Uniform Crime Report database, one of the most comprehensive source of crime statistics, this will allow law
Animal Abuse/Murderers 7 enforcement to further understand how to react to these certain cases (FBI add Animal Cruelty