Psychology and Sentencing: Mental Health Evaluations for Animal Cruelty Offenders
Presented 7/22/20
Like other violent crimes, animal cruelty offenses are often tied to underlying mental health issues. In order to rehabilitate offenders and protect future victims, those underlying issues must be addressed. Unfortunately, this crucial sentencing component is often overlooked by legislators and courts.
Join Staff Attorney Kathleen Wood and Criminal Justice Program Fellow Brittany Hill as they discuss the importance of psychological evaluations, examine surrounding factors that often contribute to animal cruelty, summarize current laws mandating psychological evaluations for cruelty offenders, and discuss the need for more collaboration between mental health professionals and the criminal justice system.
Disclaimer: presentation contains some mildly graphic images and content.
This webinar was pre-recorded. Watch it now!
Resources
- “Conceptualising Animal Abuse with an Antisocial Behavior Framework” by Eleonora Gullone (PDF)
- “Animal Maltreatment: Implications for Behavioral Science Professionals” by Lacey Levitt (PDF)
- Psychology and Sentencing: Mental Health Evaluations for Animal Cruelty Offenders – PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
- Animal Cruelty’s Link to Other Forms of Violence (PDF)
- Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Position Statement on Sentencing for Animal Cruelty Cases (PDF)
- “Interventions with Animal Abuse Offenders” by Maya Gupta, Lisa Lunghofer, and Kenneth Shapiro
- Learn more about the National Link Coalition
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Kathleen Wood
Senior Staff Attorney
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