Creates the animal abuser central registry and county registries, and requires that certain convicted animal abusers register with such registries

BILL NUMBER:A10387

Title of bill

An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to creating the animal abuser central registry and county registries, and to requiring that certain convicted animal abusers register with such registries

Purpose of bill

Mandatory registration for convicted animal abusers in our state would aid dramatically in keeping offenders away from poten- tial new victims by alerting law enforcement and the public to their whereabouts, and by allowing animal shelters to more thoroughly screen potential adopters for criminal offenders. This could include violence, torture, mutilation, intentional killings, bestiality and animal fight- ing as well as neglect and hoarding. Such registries would help protect animals, pet guardians and communities by preventing repeat offenses from anyone with an established history of abusing animals, Animal cruelty is a concern because it may be a sign of psychological distress and often indicates that an individual either has already experienced violence or may be predisposed to committing acts or violence towards humans.

Summary of provisions

The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 380: Section 1 requires the sheriff of each county in the state to establish and maintain a county registry of individuals convicted of animal abuse. Section 2 defines any person over 18 who must register. Section 3 defines the responsibility of the court to inform a convicted animal abuser of their obligation to register. Section 4 sets forth the conditions and length of time an abuser must comply. Section 5 informs the abuser of the required information that needs to be provided and the procedures each county must follow. Section 7 details fee requirements. Section 8 sets forth penalties for failure to comply. Section 9 details additional tasks each county registry must complete. Sections 10 & 11 detail access to the registry by the public.

Justification

Our state has good reason to be concerned about the whereabouts of animal abusers, including the high rate of recidivism among animal hoarders, the dangers to a community associated with animal fighting, and the well-established link between violence towards animals and violence towards humans. Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association considers animal cruelty one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder.

Legislative history

New Bill

Fiscal impact to state

To be determined.

Effective date

The act will take effect immediately