HSUS: Do you find animal cruelty developing in those who have already begun killing people?

BRANTLEY: We know that certain types of offenders who have escalated to human victims will, at times, regress back to earlier offenses such as making obscene phone calls, stalking people, or killing animals. Rarely, if We know that certain types of offenders who have escalated to human victims will, at times, regress back to earlier offenses such as making obscene phone calls, stalking people, or killing animals. Rarely, if ever, do we see humans being killed as a precursor to the killing of animals.

HSUS: How would you respond to the argument that animal cruelty provides an outlet that prevents violent individuals from acting against people?

BRANTLEY: I would disagree with that. Animal cruelty is not as serious as killing human beings, we have to agree to that, but certainly it’s moving in a very ominous direction. This is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual; this is a warning sign that this individual is not mentally healthy and needs some sort of intervention. Abusing animals does not dissipate those violent emotions; instead, it may fuel them.

HSUS: What problems do you have in trying to assess the dangerousness of a suspect or a known offender?

BRANTLEY: Getting background information is the main problem. People know this person has done these things, but there may be no record or we haven’t found the right people to interview.

HSUS: That’s one of the reasons why we have put an emphasis on stronger anticruelty laws and more aggressive enforcement—to get such information on the record.

BRANTLEY: A lot of times, people who encounter this kind of behavior are looking for the best in people. We also see cases where people are quite frankly afraid to get involved, because if they are dealing with a child or adult who seems to be bizarre or threatening, they are afraid that he or she may no longer kill animals but instead come after them. I’ve seen a lot of mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, and private citizens who don’t want to get involved because they are afraid…and for good reason. There are very scary people out there doing scary things. That’s largely why they are doing it and talking about it: they want to intimidate and shock and offend, sometimes regardless of the consequences.

HSUS: Is there hope for such an individual?

BRANTLEY: The earlier you can intervene, the better off you’ll be. I like to be optimistic. I think in the vast majority of cases, especially if you get to them as children, you can intervene. People shouldn’t discount animal abuse as a childish prank or childish experimentation.

HSUS: Have you ever seen any serial killers who have been rehabilitated?

BRANTLEY: I’ve seen no examples of it and no real efforts to even attempt it! Even if you had a program that might work, the potential consequences of being wrong and releasing someone like that greatly outweigh the benefits of attempting it, in my opinion.

HSUS: There is also a problem in trying to understand which acts against animals and others are associated with the escalation of violence, since police records, if they exist, are often unavailable or juvenile offenses are expunged. Sometimes only local humane societies or animal-control agencies have any record. The HSUS hopes to facilitate consolidating some of those records.

BRANTLEY: That would be great. If animal-cruelty investigators are aware of a case such as a sexual homicide in their community and they are also aware of any animal mutilation going on in the same area, I would encourage them to reach out to us.

Randall Lockwood, Ph.D., is HSUS vice president, Training Initiatives.

Ann Church is HSUS deputy director, Government Affairs.

This information is provided with permission from The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20037.