IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 338
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the link between violence
against animals and violence against humans and urging greater empha-
sis upon identifying and treating individuals who are guilty of violence
against animals, which is a crime in its own right in all 50 States,
in order to prevent violence against humans and urging research to
increase understanding of the connection between cruelty to animals
and violence against humans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 25, 2000
Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. SHAYS Mr. BACA, Mr. BERMAN, Ms. CARSON,
Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CLAY, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr. FARR of
California, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. LEE, Mrs.
MALONEY of New York, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. OLVER, Ms. PELOSI, Ms.
RIVERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. TAUSCHER, and Mr. GALLEGLY) sub-
mitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agri-
culture, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the link
between violence against animals and violence against
humans and urging greater emphasis upon identifying
and treating individuals who are guilty of violence
against animals, which is a crime in its own right in
all 50 States, in order to prevent violence against hu-
mans and urging research to increase understanding of
HCON 338 IH
the connection between cruelty to animals and violence
against humans.
Whereas an urgent need exists to prevent violence, especially
among juvenile offenders and in domestic situations;
Whereas a strong correlation between animal abuse and vio-
lence against humans has been documented by criminal
profiling experts associated with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, who have identified cruelty to animals as
one of the three traits often found in the ‘‘homicidal
triad’’ which indicates the characteristics of a violent per-
sonality;
Whereas a disproportionately high number of violent killers
in the prison system admit to having abused animals, and
virtually every serial killer and many violent killers have
a history of abusing animals;
Whereas many of the recent cases of school violence have in-
volved students with a history of animal abuse;
Whereas individuals who deliberately abuse animals are more
likely to abuse their spouse and their children or other-
wise be involved in violent crimes;
Whereas some experts believe that abusing animals may in-
crease or fuel the desire to commit violence against hu-
mans in certain disturbed individuals;
Whereas animal cruelty is violence and should be recognized
as such when assessing an individual’s propensity to com-
mit future acts of violent crime;
Whereas intentional animal abuse is an early warning signal
that individuals, including young people, could perpetrate
violent crimes against other individuals; and
HCON 338 IH
Whereas laws against cruelty to animals have been enacted
in all 50 States and provide penalties for the purposeful
torture and killing of animals, and the enforcement of
these animal abuse laws provide law enforcement officials
with an opportunity to bring potentially violent offenders
into the criminal justice system before they commit more
serious crimes against humans: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) recognizes that individuals who abuse ani-
mals are more likely to commit more serious violent
crimes against humans;
(2) urges social workers, teachers, mental
health professionals, and others to be aware of the
connection between animal cruelty and human vio-
lence and to evaluate carefully and to monitor close-
ly individuals who have a history of abusing animals
because this may indicate a propensity to commit vi-
olence against other humans;
(3) urges appropriate Federal agencies to en-
courage and support research to increase the under-
standing of the connection between cruelty to ani-
mals and violence against humans in order to utilize
instances of animal abuse to identify and intervene
with potentially violent individuals, and urges Fed-
eral agencies which are undertaking research on vio-
lent crime and its causes to incorporate examination
HCON 338 IH
of the link between violence against animals and vio-
lence against humans;
(4) urges local law enforcement officials to treat
cases of animal cruelty seriously both because such
cruelty is a of the potential for domestic and other
forms of violence against humans; and
(5) commends the fine work of local animal
control officials and humane investigators who en-
force laws against animal abuse and urges these pro-
fessionals to work more closely with local law en-
forcement personnel to identify and prevent potential
violence against humans.
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