Prison for Kicking a Cat?

[sana8410]

Overkill or deserved? I for one cannot see how/who it helps to imprison anyone for animal cruelty. Couldn't the people who abuse animals learn a better lesson if sentenced to working for animals? Wouldn't the activists gain more if these people are put into service of animals?

Had it been a person he kicked, Mr. Robinson, 22, most likely would have received a quick plea bargain requiring no jail time — if, that is, he had even been arrested. And had he kicked that gray cat a few years ago, a similar outcome might have awaited him.

But now, every time Mr. Robinson has appeared in court in Brooklyn, animal-rights activists have surrounded him, attending his hearings and calling for a jail sentence. He has not even received a plea offer from prosecutors — extremely rare in misdemeanor cases.

Mr. Robinson, with one seemingly unconsidered kick, has unwittingly placed himself at the center of an impassioned, growing debate.

On one side are the activists. Once dismissed as cat ladies or fringe do-gooders, they have come to wield real power through funding, organization and a focus on legal remedies for animal abuse. They have embraced social-media campaigns; offered rewards to potential witnesses to animal abuse; trained prosecutors; and made inroads in pushing law enforcement across the country to arrest, and seek jail time for, animal abusers.

Yet lawyers defending the accused say that punishment in such cases can seem disproportionate to the crime when an animal is the victim.

At the moment, the activists seem to be winning the fight. The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced this month that it would track animal abuse as a separate crime, rather than lumping it in the “other” category.

In New York City, the Police Department took over responsibility for animal abuse complaints in January, and created an Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad. Arrests for animal abuse increased about 250 percent through September, compared with the same period last year.

And the Brooklyn district attorney, Kenneth P. Thompson, said the Robinson case, which is to go to trial on Wednesday, was “indicative of my determination to be strong on folks who think they can just abuse any type of animal.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/nyregion/animal-abuse-gains-traction-as-a-serious-crime-with-jail-more-often-the-result.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

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[Swordsoffreedom]

I would say give the guy some community service or something
If he kicked a human probably would get something similar to that or made to pay damages or a fine

Hmmm offered rewards to potential witnesses to animal abuse; trained prosecutors; and made inroads in pushing law enforcement across the country to arrest, and seek jail time for, animal abusers.

I could argue that he is under duress right now and that his right to a fair trial is impeded by the funding of animal rights activists given the information provided about this case XD.

Also known as this is an incentive based case

[Lethn]

Normally I think animal rights activists are full of shit and are just making a big deal out of nothing, but some people like this are just sick, the worse one I've seen is of people who post up videos of torturing their own animals and stuff. If we don't stop them, what the hell else will happen? They could be just sadists that are trying to take advantage of the fact that there's no law against torturing animals. It's not like these things are goats trying to run around and headbutt people or a bear trying to tear out your throat which I'd completely understand but these people are just going around beating up relatively defenceless and harmless animals.

I can understand cats can be annoying and persistent fucks sometimes, I own two myself, but people who go out of their way to hit them and attack them are just being ridiculous, especially when shutting a door defeats them entirely, some of the stuff people do to animals would be called torture if they were done to humans.

[noviapriani]

What is this man doing kicking a cat?  That is animal abuse!!!!!  I would severely beat any person who kicked my cat.  He deserves any punishment he gets!!!!!!

[Mr.Bitty]

People who abuse animals are one step away from doing the same to people. This sick individual took great joy in inflicting serious injury to this cat,  and even went out of his way to lure the cat in to do it. Do I object to jail time for him? Absolutely not - but I do agree that part of his sentence should be public service at an animal shelter - under the closest of supervision, of course.

[Chef Ramsay]

I, too, once looked at these animal rights activists as pesky nuisances. In part, because they're usually one dimensional and lack the same concern for human life. However, the degenerate that would go out of their way to hurt a cat or dog or not brake when ducks are crossing the road deserves some type of societal consequences whether it be imprisonment or ostracism. Under the current paradigm, some sort of work program and rehabilitation in prison should help the situation but in a more free market system ostracism and/or a behind the scenes ass beating might suffice.

[Justine]

People who consume meat products is not that much different than torturing animals. Don't see anyone crying over it.

[Lethn]

People who consume meat products is not that much different than torturing animals. Don't see anyone crying over it.

You see this is why people tend to hate animal rights activists and not take them seriously, I don't support battery farming or anything like that and a Lion or a Crocodile isn't going to give a shit if you don't eat animals one way or another lets be honest.

[sana8410]

People who abuse animals are one step away from doing the same to people. This sick individual took great joy in inflicting serious injury to this cat,  and even went out of his way to lure the cat in to do it. Do I object to jail time for him? Absolutely not - but I do agree that part of his sentence should be public service at an animal shelter - under the closest of supervision, of course.

But even if he did kick someone, the penalty is not a prison term. There is a reason why this country has the most people in the penal system, and the reason is that they do not think that there are alternatives to imprisonment, when to me it is obvious that there are.

[PeanutCoins]

I can't separate this discussion, animal abuse, from rampant police abuse, which is usually not prosecuted in open court or with only sham prosecution - most often paid vacation at a desk while Internal Investigation promises to look into it...and actually doesn't.  Or a settled lawsuit, whereupon the 'problem citizen' is disposed of with our tax money.  Or maybe eventually gets prosecuted with a 'firing'....to go to another PD somewhere and do it again.

[Rigon]

People who abuse animals are one step away from doing the same to people. This sick individual took great joy in inflicting serious injury to this cat,  and even went out of his way to lure the cat in to do it. Do I object to jail time for him? Absolutely not - but I do agree that part of his sentence should be public service at an animal shelter - under the closest of supervision, of course.

But even if he did kick someone, the penalty is not a prison term. There is a reason why this country has the most people in the penal system, and the reason is that they do not think that there are alternatives to imprisonment, when to me it is obvious that there are.

yes, if he kicked the cat in the manner described, he should go to prison. People have to be taught--animals are not toys. If a two year old child pulled the dog's tail, that's what parents would tell them; and for the twenty year olds who never learned the lesson, well, they have to learn it.

[Rigon]

I doubt that prison in really in his future--jail, a year or less, is more likely. He won't lose that much time in acquiring whatever skills someone so evidently doltish needs in life, maybe he'll learn a lesson.

At least he won't walk back into million dollar contracts a la Michael Vick--who should still be banned from the NFL.

[sana8410]

How does it help this young man to be imprisoned, when that means that it will impact on his ability to find employment for the rest of his life, and that in turn impacts on whatever family he will have in the future. The judicial system, instead of looking at him as a criminal, can see him as someone in need of a behavior adjustment and help that by making him work with animals.

Nothing changes hearts and minds by having to interact with the people/issues that you have no regard for.

[umair127]

A common thread that links most serial killers is deliberate animal abuse. When someone lures an animal in order to do that animal harm, he is an obvious danger to society. BTW, this is not about race . White guys do it too.

[sana8410]

A common thread that links most serial killers is deliberate animal abuse. When someone lures an animal in order to do that animal harm, he is an obvious danger to society. BTW, this is not about race . White guys do it too.

No one brought up race but you.

[BitCoinNutJob]

Overkill or deserved? I for one cannot see how/who it helps to imprison anyone for animal cruelty. Couldn't the people who abuse animals learn a better lesson if sentenced to working for animals? Wouldn't the activists gain more if these people are put into service of animals?

Maybe but you'd then also need someone to watch over the animal abuser to make sure he doesnt do it again.  Perhaps sending him on unrelated work would be a better choice.

[umair127]

BTW, if this guy had lured a child and then kicked that child, he would have gone to prison even longer. The point is that innocent creatures, unable to defend themselves, whether cats, dogs, or children, have to be protected by society, so yes, put the SOB in prison.

[Lethn]

A common thread that links most serial killers is deliberate animal abuse. When someone lures an animal in order to do that animal harm, he is an obvious danger to society. BTW, this is not about race . White guys do it too.

No one brought up race but you.

LOL Was about to say! Who brought up race?! LMAO!

[Vod]

What is this man doing kicking a cat?  That is animal abuse!!!!!  I would severely beat any person who kicked my cat.  He deserves any punishment he gets!!!!!!

LOL.   Then what?  Someone has to murder you and your immediate family for beating that person?

What good is escalation of violence? 

[Fabrizio89]

What is this man doing kicking a cat?  That is animal abuse!!!!!  I would severely beat any person who kicked my cat.  He deserves any punishment he gets!!!!!!

People like you are no better than animal abusers, anyway violence only calls for more violence and beating a person won't make he understand his mistakes. People like this have their minds fucked up, it doesn't make sense to beat them. You have to make a person comprehend what he did, the punishment of him remembering what he was will be much harder for him than withstand some bruises. And if it doesn't work, you put him in conditions to not hurt anybody, trying to make him work anyway so he doesn't just waste resources.