Animal Cruelty and Violence against Humans: Making the Connection
![handle is hein.journals/anim5 and id is 93 raw text is: ANIMAL CRUELTY AND VIOLENCE AGAINST HUMANS:
MAKING THE CONNECTION
By
RANDALL LOCKWOOD*
The idea that there is a connection between the way individuals treat ani-
mals and human beings has a long history in Western popular culture, but a
shorter history as the subject of scientific research. Recently, a growing body
of evidence has confirmed an association between repeated, intentional abuse
of animals and a variety of violent antisocial behaviors including child
abuse, domestic violence, and violent criminal activities. The public made
this connection before most law-enforcement or menial health officials. Pub-
lic sentiment for tougher and better-enforced animal cruelty laws is strong,
and there has been a dramatic response to recent high-profile animal abuse
cases. Sensitivity to the importance of animal abuse as both an indicator of
exposure to violence in the home and a predictor of increased risk for future
acts of violence against people, promises to be an important tool to prevent
many forms of societal violence.
Our culture defines our laws, but our laws define what we stand for
as a culture and as a society. For most Americans, kindness to animals, or
at least an aversion to the intentional infliction of animal suffering, is one
of the core values that defines a civilized society.1 This value system was
incorporated into our laws at an early stage, starting with the Body of
Liberties, a set of rules the Massachusetts colony adopted in 1641 which
prohibited any [t]irrany or [c]rueltie towards any [b]ruite creature which
are usuallie kept for man's use.2
The idea that cruelty to animals can be associated with antisocial,
violent, or criminal behavior is not new. My colleague, Dr. Frank Ascione,
and I recently compiled nearly fifty classic references from the last two
hundred years making this connection in the literature of psychology, psy-
* Vice President, Training Initiatives, The Humane Society of the United States; BA.
Wesleyan University, 1970, PLD. Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1976. Dr. Lock-
wood serves as the principal spokesperson for the First StrikeTm Campaign of The Humane
Society of the United States, a multi-year effort to raise public and professional awareness of
the connections between animal cruelty and other forms of violence. This essay is derived
from Dr. Lockwood's presentation at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York,
Mar. 24, 1998.
1 David Favre & Vivien Tsang, The Development of Anti-Cruety Laws During the
1800s, 1 DET. C.L REv. 1 (1993).
2 GERAw CARSON, MEN, BEAsrs AND GODS: A HsroRY OF CRUELTY AND Kmn.Es-s To AN:-
MAis 71 (1972).](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/anim5&div=9&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Animal Cruelty and Violence against Humans: Making the Connection
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