Imagine that the puppy urinates on the floor. For this the puppy is beaten, thrown into a small pen, and physically and emotionally neglected. After months of such treatment, he is tossed onto the street to make his own way. Brutalized puppies may become vicious dogs. Brutalized children may become vicious adults.
Medical science confirms common sense.
A Texan is one of the country's foremost authorities on children and violence. Dr. Bruce Perry, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Baylor College of Medicine, has written extensively on why violence to children is later manifested as violence by children. Dr. Perry explains in detail how children undergo neurodevelopmental adaptations to violence that in turn produce violence. The importance of Dr. Perry's work to public policy cannot be overemphasized. Our capacity to reshape or redevelop the human brain later in life is limited.