Animal Cruelty Syndrome?

In his article, "Animal Cruelty Syndrome", Charles Siebert, a professional writer for the New York Times, argues that there is a connection between people who commit acts of animal cruelty and people who commit worse or "real" crimes. According to Siebert, there is a growing amount of evidence that show the connection between animal abuse and other criminal behaviors. Animal abuse seems to be the gateway crime to other crimes such as "Illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking, gambling, spousal and child abuse, rape and homicide"(Siebert)


Some of the most notorious criminals in recent memory have a history of animal abuse. According to Siebert, "As a boy, Jeffrey Dahmer impaled the heads of cats and dogs on sticks; Theodore Bundy, implicated in the murders of some three dozen people, told of watching his grandfather torture animals; David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam,” poisoned his mother’s parakeet." Evidence like this proves that the connection is strong. Siebert also included that "A paper published in a psychiatry journal in 2004, “A Study of Fire setting and Animal Cruelty in Children: Family Influences and Adolescent Outcomes,” found that over a 10-year period, 6-to-12-year-old children who were described as being cruel to animals were more than twice as likely as other children in the study to be reported to juvenile authorities for a violent offense." Even for people who running dog fighting rings such as Michael Vick, they also end up taking part in other criminal activities.

Due to the relevance of this link, U.S. communities now cross-train social-service and animal-control agencies in how to recognize signs of animal abuse as possible indicators of other abusive behaviors. Law enforcement agencies also are being taught about the Dog fighting Underworld. Another link  between animal cruelty and domestic violence is also being stressed to law enforcement as a way to reinforce the idea of indentifing animal abuse. According to Sgt. David Hunt, a dog-fighting expert with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Columbus, Ohio, who spoke to Siebert, “The attitude has been that we have enough stuff on our plate, let the others worry about Fluffy and Muffy. But I’m starting to see a shift in that mentality now.”. He is implying that law enforcement is also viewing the trend. Furthermore, he says, "You have to sell it to them in such a way that it’s not a Fluffy-Muffy issue...[because] It’s part of a larger nexus of crimes and the psyche behind them."

After reviewing the article, Animal Cruelty Syndrome, Ive come to agree with both Siebert and Sgt. Hunt. there is a very relevant link between the two so it would be beneficial if law enforcement could identify the crime or issue easier and earlier. From personal experience, Dog fighting rings not only endanger the animals but it also put the people in the neighborhood at risk. It brings other crimes such as drug dealing and gang activity to an area, which then begins the snowball effect of crime in  that particular neighborhood. The solution may not be as simple, but the new awareness by law enforcement should help end problems before they actually start.

Reference:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine/13dogfighting-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all