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Animal Cruelty and Neighborhood Conditions
Laura A Reese1, Joshua J Vertalka2, Cassie Richard3
1Urban and Regional Planning and Political Science, Michigan State University, 517-353-5942, Human Ecology Building 552W, Circle Drive, Room 208A, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|November 14, 2020
Summary
Neighborhood conditions like economic stress and crime significantly contribute to animal cruelty. These findings support deviance and social disorganization theories in urban settings.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Urban Studies
- Animal Welfare
Background:
- Animal cruelty is a widespread issue with multiple proposed causes, leading to conflicting research and policy challenges.
- Existing theories on animal cruelty include domestic violence, deviance, perpetrator traits, and social disorganization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relevance of established theories explaining the causes of animal cruelty.
- To identify which theoretical framework best accounts for animal cruelty incidents.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 302 animal cruelty incidents reported to Detroit police departments between 2007 and 2015.
- Application of multiple regression analysis to assess the explanatory power of different theories.
Main Results:
- Common forms of animal cruelty in Detroit include shooting, blunt force trauma, neglect, and dogfighting.
- While many perpetrators are unknown, cruelty is also perpetrated by owners, neighbors, and domestic partners.
- Neighborhood factors such as economic stress, vacancy, blight, and crime levels show the strongest association with animal cruelty.
Conclusions:
- Findings align with deviance and social disorganization theories regarding the causes of animal cruelty.
- Deteriorated urban neighborhood conditions are significantly linked to increased animal cruelty incidents.
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