On Monday, State Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, introduced legislation that hopes to address the link between animal abuse and violence towards humans, according to a news release.

On March 26, Wilk introduced the Animal Welfare and Violence Intervention act of 2018, a piece of legislation that hopes to stop the escalation of dangerous behavior among offenders who animals.

“Animal abuse crimes should be treated seriously because they are serious,” said Wilk, himself the parent of a rescue dog. “Our animal friends need and deserve our protection, but this bill isn’t just about them. It’s also about our mothers and daughters, our friends and neighbors, our children and grandchildren; it’s about all of us.”

In his statement on Monday, Wilk cited statistics showing a correlation between animal abusers and domestic violence offenders.

“In some cases 60 percent of domestic violence offenders also abused animals at some point and that 70 percent of the most violent prisoners in a study of federal prisons had serious animal abuse in their histories,” said the news release.

“There’s no denying the existence of a problem here and it has become ever more apparent that our current mechanisms for identifying and addressing these offenders is neither restorative, nor rehabilitative in any meaningful way,” said Wilk.

Wilk’s new bill would require those convicted of animal abuse crimes to undergo mandatory mental health assessments. The bill would not only also require further counseling if deemed “beneficial” to the individual, the legislation additionally calls for offenders to enroll in education courses that will teach them “proper techniques” for interacting with animals in a positive.

“Through early intervention with mental health and education we can begin to weaken the link between animal abuse and future violence against humans,” he said. “The link is well established, but it isn’t unbreakable.”

The bill has garnered the support of a number of third party organizations, including the Animal Legal Defense League and former Los Angeles County animal crimes prosecutor Deborah Knaan.



“Ferreting out mental health issues and educating offenders will go a long way toward preventing more animals, and humans, from being victimized in the future,” said Knaan, who now runs Benchmark Animal Rehabilitative Curriculum.

If the bill is approved by the Senate subcommittees, the Animal Welfare and Violence Intervention act of 2018 would then move onto the Senate floor for a vote.

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