Animal Abuse Gains Traction as a Serious Crime, With Jail More Often the Result

[Liberal_in_LA]

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http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/nyregion/animal-abuse-gains-traction-as-a-serious-crime-with-jail-more-often-the-result.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0&referrer=

reasons he has not fully explained, Andre Robinson kicked a stray cat several yards. A video of the kick was posted on Facebook. He was soon arrested.


Had it been a person he kicked, Mr. Robinson, 22, most likely would have received a quick plea bargain requiring no jail time — if, that is, he had even been arrested. And had he kicked that gray cat a few years ago, a similar outcome might have awaited him.

But now, every time Mr. Robinson has appeared in court in Brooklyn, animal-rights activists have surrounded him, attending his hearings and calling for a jail sentence. He has not even received a plea offer from prosecutors — extremely rare in misdemeanor cases.

Mr. Robinson, with one seemingly unconsidered kick, has unwittingly placed himself at the center of an impassioned, growing debate.

On one side are the activists. Once dismissed as cat ladies or fringe do-gooders, they have come to wield real power through funding, organization and a focus on legal remedies for animal abuse. They have embraced social-media campaigns; offered rewards to potential witnesses to animal abuse; trained prosecutors; and made inroads in pushing law enforcement across the country to arrest, and seek jail time for, animal abusers.

[RKP5637]

1. K&R!!! n/t

[Live and Learn]

2. While I detest the abuse of animals,

I also detest imprisoning people. Anyone that abuses an animal is in need of treatment and should be forced to get it. Jailing them does nothing to solve their emotional problems and practically guarantees that their problems and crimes will escalate in the future.

[Blue Owl]

3. Good.

They get no sympathy from me.

[QED]

4. Still waiting for charges to be filed in Arizona for the deaths of 23 dogs.

Could be because a senator's son is involved. The dogs were locked in a room with no AC or ventilation in the Arizona summer. Then they lied - they told owners the dogs had gotten out and were missing when they were lying dead in a shed on the property. These people are scum and need to be in jail.


Prosecutors delay decision on Green Acre case

A decision on whether criminal charges will be filed in the deaths of more than 20 dogs this summer at Green Acre Dog Boarding near Gilbert will take longer than originally expected, with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announcing Monday that it is seeking additional information.

"We are just seeking some clarification on some specific points that require a little more investigation," said Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the office.

He said the case remains under review and attorneys still need to go through a dozen computer discs containing potential evidence. During the review, prosecutors noted there were some questions that need to be answered before they decide if animal-neglect charges are justified against the boarding facility's owners and caretakers who were in charge when the dogs died in late June.

More:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/gilbert/2014/09/22/prosecutors-delay-decision-green-acre-case/16079747/#_=_

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tragedy-at-Green-Acre-Dog-Boarding-Gilbert-AZ/1523156181236576

[baldguy]

5. And yet there are people, when they see abused animals, they blame the animal.

Even here on DU.

[BrotherIvan]

6. Hopefully this will lead to more education about how to properly care for animals in general

People who abuse animals are dangerous to people and most especially children. I am glad the conversation is starting. There is no reason to be violent with animals or people. Ever. We need to take it very seriously. The horrifying stories of teenagers filming the torture of animals to share on facebook is thankfully being prosecuted as well.