TY - JOUR PY - 2007// TI - The Effect of Inmates' Self-Reported Childhood and Adolescent Animal Cruelty: Motivations on the Number of Convictions for Adult Violent Interpersonal Crimes JO - International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology A1 - Hensley, Christopher A1 - Tallichet, Suzanne E. SP - 175 EP - 184 VL - 52 IS - 2 N2 - Few researchers have investigated the potentially predictive power of motives for childhood and adolescent animal cruelty as it is associated with interpersonal violence in adulthood. Based on a sample of 261 inmates at medium- and maximum-security prisons in a southern state, the present study examines the relationship among several retrospectively reported motives (anger, fun, dislike, and imitation) for animal cruelty and violent crime convictions (assault, rape, and murder). Almost half reported abusing animals out of anger, whereas more than one third did so for fun. Dislike for the animal and imitation were less frequently occurring motives. Participants who abused animals at an earlier age and those who did so out of anger or for fun were more likely to repeat the offense. Regression analyses revealed that abusing an animal out of fun in their youth was the most statistically salient motive for predicting later interpersonal violence as adults.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0306-624X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X07303913 ID - ref1 ER -