Cruelty to Animals: The Mental Impact it Causes - Research Paper

Introduction

The cruel actions done to animals are not and should not be taken for granted. They should be handled with intensity to the person who committed them. Some of the actions trigger huge mental disturbance to the people witnessing the cruelty. Psychological research has proven that the active doers of these actions extend these deeds to fellow beings. According to Robert Ressler, the research can be confirmed by the many cases he has dealt with, which are associated with the same cruelty.

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The Link between Animal Cruelty and Human Violence

Research shows that the criminals involved in such cases start the actions at an early age. The ones that show agility to do the cruel actions to the animals are the violent ones and must have developed the tendency right from when they were toddlers ("Animal Protection and the "Link" Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence," 193). A survey conducted proved that the criminals who tortured pets, especially dogs and cats, had high levels of aggression towards fellow people. Following a newspaper talking about the same topic from south wales, police conducted a thorough follow-up, and results were astonishing. Nearly 100% of the homicide criminals and especially the sexual offenders had animal cruelty history. The researchers concerned about the topic had a coincidence in the results they came across. They associated most criminal actions to lots of history dealing with animal cruelty. A concerned FBI agent stated that the criminals grew up in a neighborhood where they did not take not of poking out a dog's eye ("Animal Protection and the "Link" Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence," 193).

Childhood Influences on Animal Cruelty

All criminal action is somewhat targeted to the weak. Despite animals having various defense mechanisms, they stand no chance in the hands of their oppressors. As observed above, most criminals adopted the behavior of directing their anger and cruelty to animals from a young age. Children are a clear reflection of what a family behaves, and sometimes they get punished for actions they did not commit; simply because they are powerless. The children could develop a tendency to hit a pet when they are punished for mistakes. They mostly do this to replicate what they are going through as the animals are weak than them in that environment. According to Professor Frank Ascione, he described that there exists a connection between child abuse and animal cruelty ("Animal Rights, Welfare, and Abuse," 11).

It is also not a direct impact that links child behavior to animal cruelty. A child can develop the behavior from observing how their parents treat the animals. In Illinois, a family was charged with a felony for mistreating their pets and their children. According to the sources, the family had a total of three dogs (Loring, Marsh & Geffner, 6). The family did not only fail to feed the dogs but also did not clean their kennel. The dogs were tethered outside the homestead and deprived of both food and water.

Case Studies: Connecting Animal Cruelty to Child Abuse and Criminal Actions

According to the case investigator, they were able to develop a whole story of the connection between child abuse and animal cruelty. Apart from finding out the horrible conditions that the dogs were subjected to, the family subjected their three boys to similarly harsh conditions. The boys underwent malnutrition, and they were found lying in the trash and fed on rotten food. Investigators backed up the entire situation by finding out more 40 dogs subjected to the same conditions together with children within the same city (Loring, Marsh & Geffner, 6). The proof is undeniable of the connection between animal cruelty, child abuse, and criminal actions.

Further research conducted in New Jersey proved to have similar results. Most criminal activities that occurred within that locality had animals being abused. Most children where the actions occurred were also abused. An investigator from the locality also stated that they had conducted consecutive research concerning the matter, and results given by the respondents were quite similar. Most assaulted women who partook in the studies brought up a key answer that all their abusers ended up injuring their pets (Loring, Marsh & Geffner, 6). The investigator also pointed out that one out of four women ended following the desires of the assaulter for the concern and well-being of her pet.

From an existing record, Stephen William was charged for several charges linked to this topic. He killed his wife's pet with an ax and went the extra mile of threatening her with the same weapon. As a result, his charges were undeniably animal cruelty and attempted murder. A certain Scott Maust was also charged for activities connected with animal cruelty, child abuse, and attempted murder. He shot his family dog in the name of insisting a point to his children (Jones, Cross, Walsh & Simone, 254). He also threatened his children to undergo the same if a word came out of their mouth.

Legal Measures: Protecting Animals and Recognizing Their Rights

In 2006, the United States government issued a law to allow abused animals to enter court premises while under protection as any other victim. The law is currently applied in all states, and criminals involved are entitled to face the law for their actions. Various states request the citizens to involve authorities when animal abuse is witnessed in a home.

Society must teach children how to take good care of animals. From the clear evidence from research conducted by various people, society is awakening on the matter. The cruelty of animals is not something to be taken lightly, and it extends to much more criminal actions. Courts have started to charge and subject any person who assaults an animal to the correct laws. The cases where no serious action is needed, the court entitles the people attempting the cruelty to animals and child abuse to psychological counseling.

Works Cited

"Animal Protection and the "Link" Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence." Beyond Cages, 2019, pp. 193-250, doi:10.1017/9781108277877.007.

"Animal Rights, Welfare, and Abuse." Encyclopedia of Criminal Justice Ethics, doi:10.4135/9781452274102.n11.

Jones, L. M., et al. "Criminal Investigations of Child Abuse." Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, vol. 6, no. 3, 2005, pp. 254-268, doi:10.1177/1524838005277440.

Loring, M. T., et al. "Introduction: Animal Abuse and Family Violence." Animal Abuse and Family Violence: Linkages, Research, and Implications for Professional Practice, 2018, pp. 1-6, doi:10.4324/9781315877297-1.