Does cruelty to animals lead to cruelty to people?
Research confirms a strong correlation between violence against animals and violence toward humans. It is now widely recognized that perpetrators of violent behavior are more likely to have participated in violent acts against both children and animals, and that the seeds of their behavior were planted in early childhood–often being passed down through similar behavior by a parent or other significant adult. Parents, community leaders, prosecutors, judges, and others concerned with violence in communities are coming to recognize the importance of animal cruelty as an indicator of disturbed family relationships and future aggressive behavior towards humans. Because violence towards animals springs from the same causes as violence towards humans, we can no longer pass off childhood animal abuse as a phase. The evidence is compelling– • A 1997 study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that over a 20 year perio
