Date of Defense

5-16-2012

Date of Graduation

4-28-2012

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Douglas Johnson

Second Advisor

Lori Watson

Keywords

Animal abuse, animal training

Abstract

This essay will attempt to convince the reader that a change in the Criminal Justice policy needs to be made to punish crimes against domesticated animals as punitively as crimes against humans. Evidence will be provided to show how a decrease in crimes against animals will also lead to a decrease in interpersonal crimes between humans. There will also be evidence showing that there is a link between early childhood occurrences of animal abuse and adulthood occurrences of interpersonal violence between humans. Violence against animals, especially domesticated ones, have been shown to be linked between adulthood interpersonal violence when the animal abuse occurs later in the humans life, as well as, a link between interpersonal violence when the animal abuse occurred earlier in the humans childhood. This essay will also provide evidence showing a link between animal abuse and animal aggression. There has been shown to be a strong likely hood that if an animal was abused that they can then become aggressive to humans. This essay will also state a Behavioral Modification technique used to rehabilitate abused animals so that they can become functioning members of society again. With education that would be provided to children and other members of the prospect family and rehabilitation training of the previously abused dogs, more dogs will get a second chance at life.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Restricted

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