One study shows that, out of the surveyed 117 men incarcerated in a South African prison, 63.3% (58 men who had committed crimes of aggression) admitted to cruelty to animals (Juvenile Justice Bulletin). Another study done in 1977 showed that 36% of assaultive women reported that they inflicted harm to animals. (Juvenile Justice Bulletin). A study done in 1985 proffers that 25% of violent and incarcerated men reported higher rates of “substantial cruelty to animals” during their childhood than a group of non-incarcerated men (0%) (Juvenile Justice Bulletin). Furthermore, nearly all of the most notorious serial killers in history have abused or killed animals when they were children. Some examples would be Ted Bundy, Richard Chase, Carroll Cole, Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo, Dennis Rader, and Gary Ridgeway (“Facts”). According to Melson, animal abuse is often an early warning sign of serious disturbance among adolescent and adult killers (“Do Mass Killers Start Out by Harming …show more content…
A study found that up to 71% of women seeking shelter after being a victim of abuse reported that their current and/or previous partners had threatened, injured or killed one or more family pets (Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence). Sometimes, domestic abuse situations can become more intense and prolonged due to the findings of a study that says that 18 to 48% of battered women postpone leaving a dangerous situation due to their concern for the safety of their pets, which may also be threatened or harmed themselves (“Facts and Myths About Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse.”). Some researchers refer to the link of violence between domestic abuse and animal abuse as a “tangled web” (Animal Abuse and Domestic