Animal Abuse and Youth Violence

15-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This Bulletin describes psychiatric, psychological, and criminal research linking animal abuse to violence perpetrated by juveniles and adults. Particular attention is focused on the prevalence of cruelty to animals by children and adolescents and to the role of animal abuse as a possible symptom of conduct disorder. In addition, the motivations and etiology underlying the maltreatment of animals are thoroughly reviewed. The Bulletin includes recommendations to curb such cruelty, while providing contact information for additional resources concerned with violence perpetrated against animals and people.

Animal Cruelty/Human Violence (pdf)

"This fact sheet offers statistics from several research studies investigating the connection between animal cruelty and human violence, domestic violence, and child abuse."

Animal Maltreatment in the Ecology of Abused Children: Compelling Research and Responses for Prevention, Assessment and Intervention (pdf)

In this article Phil Arkow argues that it is important to use an ecological systems approach to better understand children’s interactions with animals. Understanding the role and impact of animals in the ecology of violent childhoods can help service providers to successfully address issues related to exposure to violence.

Battered Women's Reports of Their Partner's and Children's Cruelty to Animals (pdf)

"This research study describes how abuse of pets is a method employed by batterers to control their partners, contributes to the impact on children exposed to violence, and may also be related to batterers' lethality."

Guidance for Veterinarians to Respond to Suspected Cruelty, Abuse and Neglect (pdf)

This document was created to help veterinarians who see cases of suspected animal abuse and neglect in practice to respond effectively. It is intended to aid veterinarians in establishing individual, practice-specific policies and procedures that best serve the needs of the animal and the client. Topics covered include documentation, decision making, model policies, client questionnaires, legal reporting requirements, liability and confidentiality, and sources of training and resources.

Including Animal Cruelty as a Factor in Assessing Risk and Designing Interventions (pdf)

This paper assesses the feasibility and usefulness of including animal cruelty as a variable in future research and practices, as well as makes recommendations of how this can be accomplished. In addition, recommended policy changes are discussed, including the practice of maintaining statistics on juvenile animal cruelty and the current proposal before the Federal Bureau of Investigation to add animal cruelty as a separate category in the agency’s crime data collection system.