I did some surfing and found a whole section about animal abuse and kids on the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection website, part of the the U.S. Department of Justice. You can see the entire report here. It's a summary of various studies that attempts to explain possible causes of juvenile animal abuse, and how it is connected with other abuses and adult crimes. The researchers found links between animal abuse and violence toward people. Children who've lived in homes where domestic violence occured often saw animal abuse there, too. The researchers also discovered children who've been neglected or sexually abused report higher incidences of seeing or participating in animal abuse. Other studies have shown many violent adult offenders had abused animals when they were children.

Seems to me these abusive kids should set off some warning bells. It just drives me NUTS when I hear people saying these kids were "just acting out" and shouldn't be punished. These horrible acts could very well could be a cry for help, warning police and animal welfare groups that something else could be going on in these kids' lives that needs to be remedied.

I'd like to think that kids who abuse animals, if caught early enough, can change their lives around and learn the consequences of their behavior. Learning the value of life, whether it be that of an animal or a human, is critical in our early years. Perhaps, for these young abusers, it might not be too late.