Call for tougher penalties for animal cruelty

[LTorino]

I'm glad animals are starting to gradually get more rights and be treated with more respect by society. I was a vegetarian for a few years as a kid, but it really was hard as hell. I basically will only eat chicken, turkey, hamburgers, and steak. My reasoning is the animal was already killed and nothing I can do will make a difference or save even one animal, but damn if I wish I could stop meat eating in society. I passed a bunch of chickens while I jogged earlier and had to put my head down in shame.

 

[Watermelonfresh]

Should sentences be tougher for people who are convicted of animal cruelty? I think so.

Call for tougher penalties for animal cruelty

PEOPLE who commit animal cruelty can go on to commit other offences, including murder, but nine out of 10 cases do not lead to a prison sentence.

The Centre for Crime Prevention said 13,835 offences were committed in the decade to the end of 2015 by those with a previous conviction, or caution for animal cruelty, including murder and rape.

However, the report said more than 92 per cent of those found guilty of animal cruelty avoided prison, with offences resulting in a fine or suspended sentence including criminals who starved a dog to death, strangled a cat and threw it in the bin, filmed themselves throwing a bulldog down the stairs so many times that she had to be put down, and set a puppy on fire.

The report said those convicted of animal cruelty offences have gone on to commit thousands of crimes, including robbery, theft, the rape and neglect of children, and murder.

The Centre for Crime Prevention, which campaigns for better prevention of crime, is calling for tougher sentences for animal cruelty to "protect people and animals alike", and said of the 13,835 offences committed by those with a previous conviction or caution for animal cruelty over 10 years, 1,437 were violent offences - 16 of them murders.

They were also responsible for 202 sexual offences, including 19 rapes of a female under 16, eight rapes of a child under 13, and 26 cases of sexual assault on a female under 13. There were also 97 cases of cruelty or neglect to children by those who had previously been cruel to animals, 175 robberies and 5,557 thefts.

The report said the current maximum sentence for animal cruelty of six months in prison is the lowest in Europe and recommends that it should be brought in line with Northern Ireland and increased to five years.

Peter Cuthbertson, director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: "Animal lovers will be horrified to learn that animal cruelty is one of the many offences treated extremely leniently by our courts.

"The Government is currently exploring tougher sentences for animal cruelty. This is absolutely necessary. We need more serious, prolific criminals in prison. This would protect people and animals alike, because it's so often the same criminals who are a threat to both people and animals."

The RSPCA said it would also like to see the maximum sentence increased to five years.

nterim chief executive, Michael Ward, said: "While the RSPCA is seeing unbelievably shocking and distressing cases go before the courts, only a tiny proportion of animal abusers actually receive an immediate custodial sentence.

Read more: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/News/15463305.Call_for_tougher_penalties_for_animal_cruelty/

Great post. I hate discussing things on public forums that I have feelings about because there is many people behind anonymity that post very argumentative and hateful posts on topics like this. I'm not sure if they're trying to provoke confrontation or just not very caring for others.

 

[AgentSmecker]

Yeah, I wish I had the will power to go vegetarian at least. But I don't. If I had grown up that way, it probably wouldn't be so hard to do it. I don't like the thought of slaughtering animals for food. But there is something different about it when someone does it for fun or just because they hate a particular animal or something. And it makes me want to kill them.

Well at least you aren't living in complete denial and have enough consciousness to give the matter some consideration which is more than can be said for most people.

Despite knowing that morally there is no difference between the people who kill animals for kicks and those who kill or pay others to kill them largely because they enjoy how they taste, I too struggle with hateful thoughts towards those who do it purely for sadistic reasons. I guess there is a huge disconnect with a lot of people since we are preprogrammed from a very young age to view most animals as commodities or pests and it is difficult for some people to question any part of their belief systems. Most people much like yourself are willing to give pause for thought and do have the potential to change but the psychos, the sadists, the sociopaths, the sickos whatever you want to call them, well, 99% of them will never change and frankly the world would be a better and safer place without them.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Despite knowing that morally there is no difference between the people who kill animals for kicks and those who kill or pay others to kill them largely because they enjoy how they taste,

Yes, there is. Why one does something is almost as important as what they do, sometimes more.

 

[AgentSmecker]

Yes, there is. Why one does something is almost as important as what they do, sometimes more.

What I mean is, when you consider it in terms of necessity there is morally no difference because the fact remains that the animals suffer and die all the same. If you look at all the ways in which we use animals it is clear that the vast majority of it is simply not necessary for our survival. If I pay someone to kill or harm animals just because I like how they taste or how their skin looks when fashioned into shoes or clothing, or I buy products from companies who subject them to painful experiments because I wish to smell good or have smooth skin, nice shiny hair etc etc then these are all frivolous reasons for inflicting suffering and death on animals and cannot be any more morally justified than someone who willfully inflicts pain and death on animals purely because they get a direct thrill out of the act itself (rather than the end result in the case of the consumer). The real difference is of course a psychological one and anyone who derives pleasure from hurting/killing animals is clearly a seriously sick fuck.

 

[Sir Galahad]

I'm not surprised. I don't know if a longer sentence would have done anything anyway. I have a hard time believing anyone who would enjoy doing what he did is going to turn into a productive member of society, and I'm sure he's gonna do more fucked up shit once he gets out. Don't know what the answer is.

Only 45 days is fucked up. @Roca

 

[Roca]

Only 45 days is fucked up. @Roca

America's legal system is fucked up. You can end up with years in jail and felony convictions and shit for a couple of joints but some psychotic level shit like this gets you a slap on the wrist.

 

[Sir Galahad]

America's legal system is fucked up. You can end up with years in jail and felony convictions and shit for a couple of joints but some psychotic level shit like this gets you a slap on the wrist.

My justice will be swift. @splendica @Roca

 

[Roca]

My justice will be swift. @splendica @Roca

Just like your sexy times.

 

[FinalFight]