Laws in favor of psychological evaluations and treatment

Often, animal cruelty is tied to an underlying psychological issue. For example, animal hoarding is a diagnosable disorder marked by an inability to control the compulsion to acquire and retain animals. Physical abuse of an animal is sometimes linked to conduct disorder in juveniles or antisocial personality disorder in adults. Sexual assault of animals is often linked with paraphilic disorders. Other disorders commonly linked to animal cruelty include, but are not limited to, substance abuse, trauma disorders, intermittent explosive disorder, and more. Psychological evaluations for animal cruelty offenders can help the court identify underlying causes of the offense, and craft more tailored, effective sentences which may include counseling, rehabilitation, or other treatment. More effective sentences help reduce the likelihood that the person will reoffend, protecting potential future animal victims.

As of 2024, 18 states, the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands statutorily authorize the court in its discretion to order psychological evaluation and, if necessary, treatment for convicted animal abusers. An additional 19 states, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands require psychological evaluation/treatment for certain convicted animal abusers. However almost every one of those 19 states limits its mandatory counseling statute to certain abusers—typically people who committed torture or sexual assault of an animal, or those who were a juvenile at the time of the offense. In 2024, Kansas enacted a new law requiring psychological evaluations to inform probation conditions following convictions for harming a law enforcement animal.

2024 U.S. State Animal Protection Laws Ranking Report

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