“They Know, But Do Not Tell”: Examining the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Other Criminal Offences in British Columbia

Animal cruelty is a significantly under researched topic in Criminology. An exploratory study was undertaken to determine whether there is a link between cruelty offences and other crimes in British Columbia (BC). Data were compiled using open source websites to identify convicted animal cruelty offenders and examine any further criminal convictions. Using the frameworks of the graduation hypothesis and generalized deviance theory, criminal offending patterns and timing of offences were analyzed. Offenders were categorized into two types based on their first animal cruelty offence: active (hands on, violent) and passive (hands off, neglect). Sentencing and demographic outcomes were also examined. Active cruelty offenders were more likely to have criminal records for violent crimes, and have prior and simultaneous convictions. These results are consistent with the generalized deviance theory. Sentencing outcomes revealed that strong penalties for animal cruelty offences are not being utilized by the BC courts.