FBI data shed light on animal cruelty in domestic violence cases

In 2014, the FBI began collecting national data on animal cruelty, along with the other criminal incident and arrest data reported by law enforcement agencies and captured in the National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS). Addington and Randour wanted to use NIBRS to explore the acknowledged, but not much researched, link between animal cruelty and domestic violence. Specifically, they wanted to characterize incidents in which animal cruelty and intimate partner violence or family violence occurred together. Using the 2020 NIBRS Extract Files that they downloaded from NACJD, the authors analyzed 278 such incidents. Their findings revealed that animal cruelty frequently coincides with domestic violence, with intentional abuse being more common than neglect in these cases. They also found distinct patterns in the types of relationships and demographics involved, such as current romantic partners being most often involved in intimate partner violence cases, and parents often being victims in family violence cases. Notably, there were higher arrest rates for domestic violence incidents that included animal cruelty, suggesting law enforcement may respond more seriously to these cases and highlighting the need for increased collaboration between animal protection and domestic violence prevention efforts. See other publications that utilize NIBRS data to explore the link between animal cruelty and violent crime.