The Consequences Of Animal Cruelty

Many animals suffer and go through pain, but most people do not know the cause of it. Animal cruelty is a serious problem that is not widely known about. In many ways, there is a lack of awareness about animal cruelty, which means that education is the key to preventing more cases. There is a lack of education about caring for domestic animals that foster passive animal cruelty and makes animal cruelty an under reported crime. Finally, the lack of awareness means that some countries do not have the proper legislation to deal with animal cruelty as a crime. Mental illness might manifest with animal cruelty, but it is not widely known because of the lack of awareness. The lack of knowledge about animal cruelty not only affects the animal’s life

For one, it is not as strictly enforced as it should be. “Simply requiring an animal abuser to pay a fine or serve minimal jail time does not address underlying ‘physiological deficits’ that may have influenced the offender’s behavior,” said Olivia S. Garber in the University of Memphis Law Review. So far, only thirty-two of the fifty states require a “psychological evaluation and treatment for certain offenders,” which could easily help diagnose any psychological issue when it is detected early (Garber). Based on “Animal cruelty cases heard in Calhoun County,” two men were charged with killing their pet dogs, but the only penalties that were given to the two men were only five years’ probation and 2 years in jail, respectively. Animal cruelty is also, sadly, a very easy crime to hide and get away with without any prosecution. Because the offender does not want to be caught being the one who causes the harm, the act of abuse is usually done in a private area. According to Olivia S. Garber, any kind of abuse which includes child abuse and intimate partner abuse, as well as animal cruelty, usually happen “behind closed doors and often go unreported.” Another big problem in the prosecution of animal abusers is that in many states, there is no jail time. In reference to the “State Laws on Animal Cruelty” map, in forty-three states have the first-offense policy against animal cruelty charges. In other states such as Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the offender is only charged when it is the second-offense; meaning it is the second time being abusive to animals. Idaho, on the other hand, is the only state that only charges after three warnings; the third-offense. In Brazil, their animal cruelty laws are also not as strict. “The penalty for such crimes foresees imprisonment for three months to a year and fines; if the animal dies as a result of such practices, the penalty is