Abstract
In 2017, the Texas legislature amended Texas Penal Code § 42.092, which governs acts of cruelty against non-livestock animals. The statute in its current form makes torturing, killing, or seriously injuring a non-livestock animal a third degree felony, while less serious offenses carry either a state jail felony or a Class A misdemeanor charge.
While a step in the right direction, Texas law is not comprehensive in that it fails to address a significant aspect of animal cruelty offenses: mental illness. For over fifteen years, Texas Family Code § 54.0407 has required psychiatric counseling for juveniles convicted of cruelty to animals, but in that time, a similar provision for adult offenders has not been suggested. Persons convicted of animal cruelty are notorious re-offenders whose crimes can escalate to violence against humans. Furthermore, violent behavior may not manifest itself during childhood and can be a result of a newly developed mental illness.
Animal cruelty has major negative societal impacts. For instance, domestic abusers often abuse animals to control their victims, while the internet has developed a significant market for animal sexual abuse that involves human victims as well. By creating a stricter punishment for those convicted, Texas has acknowledged the importance of prosecuting these acts. However, the state needs to push farther by requiring psychiatric evaluations for those convicted in order to better prevent recidivism and escalation.
Last Page
194
First Page
167
Date Created
June 17, 2019
Journal Title
The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice
Recommended Citation
Ashley Kunz,
Skinning the Cat: How Mandatory Psychiatric Evaluations for Animal Cruelty Offenders Can Prevent Future Violence,
21
The Scholar
167
(2019).
Available at:
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/thescholar/vol21/iss1/4
Volume Number
21
Issue Number
1
Publisher
St. Mary's University School of Law
Editor
Riley F. Tunnell
ISSN
1537-405X
Included in
Animal Law Commons, Animal Studies Commons, Counseling Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Criminology Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Family Law Commons, Juvenile Law Commons, Law and Psychology Commons, Law and Society Commons, Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons, Legal Remedies Commons, Legislation Commons, Prison Education and Reentry Commons, Psychology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons
