by Masked Human

Created on: June 28, 2009

As an owner of pets myself, I would like to press that I am completely against all forms of animal cruelty and will never tolerate or accept any actions that violate pets. With that said, I believe that there should not be a more severe form of punishment or penalty towards those that do commit animal cruelty. And here are a few reasons as to why I perceive the sentence is already severe as it is today.

If you have taken law, whether it be through high school or even law school, you know that when charged with any form of an indictable or even sometimes summary offence, it is kept on your record. Not only do you have to pay a consequence for your actions deemed by a judge, you now have a record that identifies you as an offender. Do you realize how severe that is alone? If you aren't sure what problems that can cause for an individual here it is. Whether you apply for a job or seek a job, you will more than likely be turned down immediately without a full review. Why? Employer's, and people in charge of hiring potential workers review your resume like a police would a suspect. And guess what, your criminal record is one thing they do review. If you have been charged with animal cruelty and found guilty in a court, you will have to live with the fact that you now have to also forfeit a job opportunity because of your actions. More severe than this is seeking revenge against those that possibly deserve to learn from their mistakes and past wrongs.

As a Canadian, and an individual who has studied law I have seen how our legal system works with criminals and offenders who commit these types of crimes. And as a person entering this, I was always saying "guilty" instead of seeing the other side of this system. I personally came to the conclusion that I was not realizing how much of an impact these penalties actually have on people who must face them. Most say the common thing for people who commit crimes and even animal cruelty and it's, " just a slap on the wrist." Replace slap with chain and you have the right picture. Sometimes the chains can be from prison, and after it is the chain of consequence that is held on your record now forever(unless Judge deems otherwise).

But what if it is too severe? What happens if it was my pet that hurt or harmed by someone else? Would I change my opinion? Absolutely not, a judge will determine sentencing and they decide what is best for the guilty party and for society itself. More severe is a personal vendetta against all criminals, leaning towards an outside issue. Should penalties be more severe? No, and I will continue to support the laws already in place, and allow people an act of forgiveness and redemption for the wrongs in life.

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