In reference to why the girl who threw the puppies should get jailtime...A small research project.
From Suite101:
Animal cruelty is defined as intentionally causing suffering to an animal for personal enjoyment. Those who abuse animals are statistically far more likely to harm people. Abuse of people may include:
- Physical assault
- Sexual assault
- Homicide
- Emotional abuse
- Destruction of…
Most likely she is suffering from some sort of mental condition, likely psychopathic. Many symptoms of a psychopathic personality involve a lack of remorse, or guilt.
If she does have a condition, then there is no sense in her be jailed as it was not an intentional maliciious act. She is sick and needs treatment. Putting her in jail is not going to “teach” her anything if her mind is incapable of empathy. She needs to begin rehabilitation to prevent any kind of future incident.
However, to play devil’s advocate: If she ISN’T ill, she should be charged. But, only for the crime she has committed. You can’t pre-emptively jail someone long-term because of a crime you think they’ll commit in the future.
But honestly, I don’t see how she couldn’t have a mental illness. Normal, well-adjusted people do not gain pleasure from throwing puppies into a river.
Here’s a link about behavioral characteristics that are associated with psychopathic/sociopathic behavior: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macdonald_triad