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Article: The few and the proud: prosecutors who vigorously pursue animal cruelty cases.
- Article from:
- Prosecutor, Journal of the National District Attorneys Association
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National District Attorneys Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE CREATION of our nation's first felony animal cruelty laws began as early as the 1800s. (1) However, the movement toward recognizing the seriousness of animal cruelty did not reemerge until approximately a decade ago. Beginning in the mid 1990s, 37 states enacted felony criminal penalties against those who engage in serious or aggravated acts of animal cruelty. Currently, there are only five states (2) and four U.S. territories (3) that remain without felony laws.
Being an animal cruelty prosecutor can be one of the most thankless positions in a prosecutor's office and it takes a tremendous amount of strength and confidence to navigate these complicated cases, ...