Many philosophers, including Aquinas, Locke, Schopenhauer and Kant, have assumed that there is a link between cruelty to animals and violence to people. During the last 40 years, evidence for this view has steadily accumulated as a result of statistical, psychological, and medical investigations, and there is now a substantial body of supporting empirical evidence. "The Link Between Animal Abuse & Human Violence" brings together international experts from seven countries to examine in detail the relationships between animal abuse and child abuse, the emotional development of the child, family violence, and serial murder. It considers the implications for legal and social policy, and the work of key professionals. Sections include critical overviews of existing research, discussion of ethical issues, and a special focus on the abuse of wild animals. This book is essential reading for all those who have a stake in the debate, either because their academic work relates to the issues involved, or because their professional role involves contact with the abused or the abusers, both human and animal, including child care officers, community carers, law enforcement officers, health visitors, veterinarians, anti-cruelty inspectors, animal protection officers, social scientists, lawyers, psychologists, and criminologists. This is the most up-to-date, authoritative, and comprehensive volume on the link between animal abuse and human violence.

About the Author
Andrew Linzey is Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and a member of the Faculty of Theology at at Oxford University. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books, including Animal Rights: A Christian Assessment ; Christianity and the Rights of Animals ; and Why Animal Suffering Matters: Philosophy, Theology, and Practical Ethics .

Reviews
"For social workers, the value of this collection lies in its comprehensive sweep of a subject that does not get much professional attention. Its concern with the deliberate cruelty to animals that may occur alongside child neglect, domestic violence and the mistreatment of adults at risk makes this an important volume on an area often neglected in family violence literature. The book will be of use to social work teachers, students & professionals working with adults & children at risk of abuse" - The Magazine for The British Assoication of Social Workers, July/August 2011
Without exception, the papers and the contributions of Professor Linzey significantly add to the knowledge base relating to the cruelty connection and the book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, policy makers and those working in the field with responsibilities for the protection of vulnerable people and animals. The book merits wider readership and adds to the growing debate about the morality of our treatment of animals? -- Journal of Animal Welfare Law
Written and edited to the highest standards, this book provides an essential reference for all those interested in studying this important emerging field. It is a field no veterinarian should be unaware of. For other readers, it provides a fascinating albeit sometimes disturbing insight into one of the darker realms of human psychopathology. -- Veterinary Times



Book Information
ISBN 9781845193256
Author Andrew Linzey
Format Paperback
Page Count 346
Imprint Liverpool University Press
Publisher Liverpool University Press