Paw Justice.
I don’t even want to think about the cruelty some people inflict on animals, so it’s a good thing that others do this incredibly hard task:
[In 2010] the [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] will be asking Government to increase the maximum custodial sentences for crimes of animal cruelty. This will be hugely assisted if the people of New Zealand speak out and ask for better justice for our animals.
You can help by signing the petition available in SPCA’s, vet clinics and pet stores nationwide. Or you can go to the website www.pawjustice.co.nz , download a petition form and send it to us. Get your friends and family to sign it too and do your bit to seek more appropriate sentences for people who abuse or neglect animals.
[Via : RNZSPCA.]
A quandary
I must confess, I’ve never really supported the notion of simply increasing the harshness or length of sentences for crimes. I think our lives are complex and many factors contribute to crime. Harsher sentences alone won’t necessarily deter people or prevent such crimes.
They do send a message that such things are unacceptable though. That we don’t take them lightly.
As a society we need to look at and seriously work on attitudes and causes. We need to deal with the underlying problems that lead to people inflicting terrible violence on animals or other people.
On the other hand, I read of the atrocities on otherwise defenceless animals. If I consider the possibility that my own animals may suffer these horrors at the hands of passing strangers, I just want to join those who would ‘lock up the perpetrators and throw away the key’.
I absolutely want to protect our pets (and for that matter farm animals) against these horrors.
The statistics
I’m the kind of person who responds well to statistics. I’d like to see some comparisons: are the actual sentences for torturing animals on a par with those for violence on people? Or are they comparable to say shoplifting or graffiti?
I’m inclined to trust the SPCA. If they say we need harsher sentences then I’ll lend my support. After all, they are the front-line folk who actually deal with these horrific things. While I close my eyes and try to avoid knowing about it they are literally picking up the pieces.
This, for example, seems out of proportion:
Jeffrey Hurring is a 19-year-old man who took more than 30 minutes to kill a young Jack Russell terrier, Diesel, by [specific cruelties excised]. All in front of a group of young children.
He received the longest sentence given for animal abuse in New Zealand to date — 1 year’s jail time.
[Via : Crimes against animals | Stuff.co.nz.]
Sentencing comparisons
Sentence length in the 1990s.
A bit of searching found that in 1999 in New Zealand the average sentence for grievous assault (on people) was 21.9 months (Table 3.9).
In 1999, according to that chart, threatening to kill, assault on a child and serious assault all lead to sentences of around 7 or 8 months on average.
- wounding with intent
- injuring with intent
- aggravated wounding/injury
- disabling/stupefying
I would think that torturing an animal to death would rank at least with the actions listed under grievous assault.
What do you think? Can you offer comparisons with more recent figures for New Zealand? Figures that reflect what happens in other countries?
What will be effective?
It’s easy to feel the outrage and to want to ‘lock them up’ for longer. But will that actually reduce cruelty to animals?
Will we be sending offenders to a prison where they learn refined techniques for violence? Will they stop harming animals (a good result) only to move on to harming people? There’s already a known connection between cruelty towards animals and violence towards people.
Would the money we spend keeping people in prison for longer perhaps be better spent on preventing violence in the first place?
What thoughts do you have on how we can stop people from harming, and even torturing our companion animals?
Note: thanks to spammers, comments are closed until around mid-January 2010.
