Urban targets animal abuse as precursor to violent crime - Connecticut

"State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, has introduced a bill in the General Assembly that would appoint an animal advocate in animal cruelty cases.
"The advocates, which would be University of Connecticut law students or pro bono attorneys, would work to ensure that those accused in such cases are ordered to undergo counseling and/or serve prison terms and would not be allowed into programs such as accelerated rehabilitation, which end up erasing the arrest from their record.

"We want a conviction with counseling," she said. "We need to have this on the record."

"Urban, who is co-chairwoman of the legislature's Children's Committee, stressed that research shows a clear link between animal and human abuse and rattled off graphic cases across the state in which animal cruelty was part of domestic violence incidents.

"Urban also said another study has shown 80 percent of mass murderers began by abusing animals...."

http://www.theday.com/article/20130404/NWS01/304049504/1019&town

See also:

FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

http://acesconnection.com/profiles/blogs/flying-under-the-radar?xg_source=activity

The (inextricable) Link: Animal abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse

http://acestoohigh.com/2013/03/26/the-inextricable-link-animal-abuse-domestic-violence-child-abuse-elder-abuse/

Catching the Red Flags: How the Animal Cruelty Legacy Impacts Public Safety

http://www.consoleandhollawell.com/law-blog/catching-the-red-flags-how-the-animal-cruelty-legacy-impacts-public-safety

Battering, Bullying, and Beyond: The Role of Gender, Power, and Control in the Link between Animal Abuse and Human Violence

http://www.humanespot.org/content/battering-bullying-and-beyond-role-gender-power-and-control-link-between-animal-abuse-and-hu?utm_source=Humane+Research+Council+News&utm_campaign=54fb11a37d-HRC_News_May_25_2012