Crackdown on Animal Abuse
Saturday, June 05, 2010
A proposed new law would create a version of the sex offender registry for animal abusers and impose stiff penalties on those who fail to comply.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Rod Driver, a Richmond Democrat, said it takes aim at senseless crimes. “I have been an animal lover for as long as I can remember—doesn’t matter whether it’s a domesticated animal, a farm animal, or a wild animal,” Driver said.
If it becomes law, it would require that anyone who has been convicted of a felony crime against a pet or other animal register with local police, providing their Social Security number, home address, employer, and a picture. Failure to register is itself a felony, and violators could face a fine of $1,500 or two years in jail.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTJust two other states are considering animal abuse registries—California and Louisiana, according to dmv360.com, an online veterinary news magazine.
Animal abuse is a persistent problem that shows no signs of going away, according to E.J. Finocchio, president of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals. “I have not seen a decrease in the number of these cases,” Finocchio said. “Probably there has been an increase.”
Finocchio said he was all in favor of an animal abuser registry—but first, he said more needs to done to enforce existing laws against the crime.
“The laws are all bark and no bite,” Finocchio said. “We have the laws. The laws are not enforced at the bench."
The vast majority of misdemeanor animal cruelty cases in nearly the past decade have ended in little more than slaps on the wrist for the offenders, according to Finocchio. Instead of ending in conviction or acquittal, he said local judges often “file” cases away, which means that offenders pay restitution, do some community service, or are put on probation. After a year, he said their record is wiped completely clean by the courts.
“They look at animal cruelty as, ‘This is a nuisance. We’ve got to get rid of these things so we can move on to more important things,’” Finocchio said.
But those who commit crimes against animals tend to graduate to more serious acts of abuse against people, Finocchio said.
One study has shown that 48 percent of male rapists and 30 percent of child molesters started out abusing animals, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
“Even if it didn’t involve children and humans, it would still be a concern,” Driver said. “I just don’t see a need to abuse any creature.”
The bill, which was introduced early in the legislative session, has been held for further study by the House Judiciary Committee.
