Abuse and its link to other crimes

[Elyse Orecchio]

Hi, Dr. Lockwood. You've testified in many courtrooms. Do you find that in general, judges are taking you more seriously than they might have in the past when you talk about the relationship between animal cruelty and other crimes, especially domestic ones? In other words, can we be hopeful about a rise in awareness in our justice system?

[Dr. Randall Lockwood]

I think we are being taken more seriously, certainly by prosecutors who understand the connection. Remember.. the majority of judges and prosecutors have pets themselves and are inclined to find animal cruelty truly disturbing. The fact that there is good scientific evidence to support their intuitive feeling that these are people we need to be concerned about makes them more comfortable in doing the right thing.

Also - the general public demands action in cruelty cases... and most DA's are elected and/or have higher political aspirations, so they cannot ignore public opinion.