Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People [Paperback]

Linda Merz-Perez (Author), Kathleen M. Heide (Author), Randall Lockwood (Contributor), Frank R. Ascione (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0759103046 | ISBN-13: 978-0759103047

Practitioners in the animal welfare field, law enforcement circles, and social services arena have often maintained that childhood cruelty to animals is a forerunner to violence against people. Does this behavior serve as a red flag with respect to extremely violent offenders, such as serial killers? Is it part of the cycle of violence associated with domestic abuse? Perez and Heide provide the first scientific examination of this relationship and examine issues of cruelty across different types of animals (pet, wild, stray, farm). The authors evaluate both qualitative and quantitative data to identify correlations between childhood cruelty and adult violent behavior, utilizing interviews and criminal records of violent and nonviolent inmates in a maximum security prison. Their findings will be of importance to a diverse audience, including researchers and practitioners in the field of juvenile justice, violence and domestic abuse, social welfare, animal welfare and animal rights and developmental psychologists and counselors, as well as law enforcement officers, district attorneys and judges, county and municipal officials, animal control officers, veterinarians, and school administrators, especially those concerned with intervention and prevention strategies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Our understanding of the phenomenon of animal abuse has been advanced significantly by Merz-Perez and Heide's efforts. Their work should attract the attention of students and professionals who work in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, law, criminology, social work, child welfare, and family violence. The interested layperson will also benefit from this book since it presents a thoughtful and concise overview on animal abuse and the characteristics of those who perpetrate it. The book will no doubt become a classic reference in this field. . . . Healing often begins with a journey of understanding--Merz-Perez and Heide have hastened our travel along this path. (Frank R. Ascione, Ph.D. From The Afterword )

One of the greatest challenges to those of us concerned about crime and violence is that there are so many potential forces at work that can lead an individual down many different paths. . . . This collaboration has brought an original orientation to these issues that has combined careful attention to quantitative method and strongly held concern for the victims of violence, regardless of their species. . . . Ultimately this work, like other important research that has proceeded it, is aimed at better understanding one of the greatest questions we face--the nature and origins of evil. . . . Rarely do such problems arise without warning, but the warnings may be unheeded if the victim is 'only an animal.' Merz-Perez and Heide have given us new and stronger reasons to take animal abuse very seriously. (Randall Lockwood, Ph.D. From The Foreword )

About the Author

Linda Merz-Perez is the former Executive Director of the Humane Society of Shelby County, Alabama. She currently serves on the boards of Hand-In-Paw and the SPCA, West Pasco, has served as court-appointed Animal Cruelty Investigative Officer, and has been involved in the field of animal welfare for the last 14 years. Kathleen M. Heide is professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, and a licensed mental health counselor. She is an internationally recognized consultant on adolescent homicide, family violence, personality assessment, and juvenile justice, and the author of Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide (1992) and Young Killers: The Challenge of Juvenile Homicide (1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (October 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759103046
• ISBN-13: 978-0759103047
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Social Services and Animal Welfare Professio, March 23, 2005

By 

Jennifer Sherian (Durham, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People (Paperback)

"This book is a must have for anyone working in or interested in the animal welfare or human services fields. Most of us already in these fields find our time to relax and enjoy a good book very limited or otherwise nonexistent, and may find writings related to our work to be very technical and mundane. Linda Merez-Perez and Kathleen Heide have combined years of experience to develop a very clear, concise, intriguing work on the link between animal cruelty and increased human violence in the pages of "Animal Cruelty: Pathway to violence against people". Within these pages you will find a wealth of knowledge spanning the history of the relationship between animal cruelty and human violence, the current state of this relationship, methods used to evaluate this relationship, case studies that will pull at your heart, and suggested avenues of approach to both further increase awareness of the correlation between animal cruelty and increased human violence, and steps that can be taken to reduce these instances. After reading this book I am compelled to purchase a copy for both our County Adult and Child Social Services Departments and the County Animal Control Administrator in hopes of building a combined relationship to combat both animal cruelty and human violence in our area."

Jennifer Sherian - Manager, Animal Protection Society of Durham, North Carolina

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars review Of Animal Cruelty Pathway to Violence Against People, March 17, 2005

By 

Lea Ann - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People (Paperback)

Animal Cruelty Pathway to Violence Against People written by Linda Merz-Perez and Kathleen M. Heide is a comprehensive look into the relationship between animal cruelty in children and a future in violence. Throughout history, the relationship between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence has been put on the back burner. In recent times, however, it is clear the relationship is very important in predicting the future violent offender. Linda Merz-Perez and Kathleen Hiede have written a very in-depth look into this relationship. The compilation of research already written has been collected and reviewed to give the professionals a tool to utilize in understanding this relationship. Most useful is the look into how to recognize and intervene at an early enough age to help alleviate the possibility of future violence as adults. I particularly found the research form current inmates interesting. The link between animal cruelty by children and later violence as adults has been clearly proven. Interestingly enough the book asks more questions than it answers. It is clear that studies that are more comprehensive need to be performed but this is a great start. Comprehensive studies need to be created to look into this relationship to help build national awareness of the problem society is facing today. I would strongly urge area animal control and animal welfare advocates as well as social services agencies to use this book as a tool for growth and understanding. By looking into the environmental factors (family, housing and economic) we can learn what creates a violent offender and use the information to create programs for parents and victims of abuse to get help faster and more comprehensively.

The book has many areas of highly statistical data that if you have not had statistics can be difficult to understand. Even though some places were a little challenging for me, I have gained an awareness of a national problem. These 2 women took years of work and writings and completed a meticulous look into what are the predictors of violence and steps needed to help stop the violence. They also looked into the weaknesses of the studies being reviewed. This book can only help professionals create better methodology for a longitudinal study that can answer the question of how to predict violent offenders at an earlier age and hopefully create tools to stop it from escalating. I feel animal control agencies would greatly benefit from the chapter on violent offenders and the case studies they highlight. This will help them to identify risks while on the job.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource and Reference Tool, March 10, 2005

By 

C. depauz - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People (Paperback)

Excluding references and index, Animal Cruelty Pathway to Violence against People is 167 pages of intense facts, data, research and case studies collected from a variety of credible and referenced sources. The focus is on making the connection between childhood cruelty to animals and adult violent behavior. It is a must read, and resource for agencies that deal with violent offenders and their victims. The authors, Linda Merz-Perez and Kathleen M. Heide, both with impressive credentials, bring new insight to this issue. Impressive Forward and Afterword contributors further enhance the book's credibility and support.

The in-depth information and subject matter are presented in textbook style and does not make for quick nor easy leisurely reading. The flow of the information is well organized. I was impressed with the overview of animal welfare history and the reexamination and refinement of previous studies and research. Three theories of offenders are clearly outlined followed by a chapter detailing method and study design. There are numerous table summaries of various studies, many of which I found useful. However I found myself skimming over areas of foreign text explaining the formulas such as, chi-square = 2.248; d.f. = 1;p = .134. I most enjoyed the proposed definitions of seven forms of animal cruelty (page 156-157). "These definitions, although not mutually exclusive, establish distinct conceptual parameters by which to more clearly articulate cruelty in its many manifestations."

As with any good research, it leaves the reader with more questions and new avenues to explore. Animal Cruelty Pathway to Violence against People is likely to be too specialized for a general audience. I would, however, recommend it for anyone with an interest in violence against humans or animals and the welfare of animals.