Game Dog Guardian. It’s Our Turn To Fight For Them.

Animal Cruelty Prosecution Clinic Developed for KU Law School

GDG, 4.1.11

Game Dog Guardian’s Katie Bray has been working through the University of Kansas School of Law to develop a unique program.  Bray and her faculty sponsors just wrapped up the final stage in preparation to launch the “Animal Cruelty Prosecution Clinic.”  As a branch of the already successful KU Law Criminal Prosecution Clinic, a student from the law school will work with city and county prosecutors on both misdemeanor and felony animal cruelty cases.  In addition to working with prosecuting attorneys, the student may also work with animal control, local law enforcement and animal cruelty investigators in local humane societies.  

KU’s current criminal prosecution clinic provides law students with valuable experience while also providing a free resource to prosecutors.  Under the current caseload, time and budget constraints, animal cases sometimes take a back seat.  Bray and professors collaborated and came up with the idea to add a special animal prosecution clinic to help alleviate the caseload. The goal was to not only assist the prosecutors, but to increase the effectiveness of evidence gathering, improve communication between involved and to ensure that humane society investigators are familiar with local laws and procedures.

Bray spent her last two years of law school setting up the clinic.  She had a great deal of support from the community, area prosecutors, animal welfare organizations  and the former Executive Director of the Lawrence Humane Society, Midge Grinstead, who heavily supported the creation of the program and provided invaluable insight.  Besides the obvious benefits, the qualifying student extern will most likely be a zealous advocate and come with inventive new ways to prosecute animal cruelty cases.

Fortunately, the student extern has several resources to keep up to date on emerging trends in animal law.  The clinic was issued a grant through the Animal Legal Defense Fund, KU’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, for a book entitled: Legal Advocates Manual for Prosecuting Animal Abuse.  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  has an online e-program for both Animal Cruelty Investigations and Dog Fighting and the student extern will complete both online classes before he can begin as an extern in the clinic. 

The ultimate goal of the clinic is to benefit not just the animals in the community but also people.  Over the last two years, Bray has compiled a packet of useful information for the next student extern including “The Link,” a comprehensive study on the link between animal abuse and a progression to violence toward people.  Effective prosecution of animal cruelty cases can help law enforcement awareness of residents in the community with patterns of violent behavior.  The clinic may also provides the opportunity to interact with youth offenders who commit acts of animal cruelty and are at high risk to commit acts of violence in their adult lives.

From everything Bray has learned, she believes the clinic is the first of its kind in the country. “In 2009, I spoke with someone from the Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force in Baltimore after a horrific abuse case where a dog was set on fire.They were thrilled at the idea of a law student helping with animal abuse cases.” Bray also spoke with representatives at Lewis & Clark Law School’s Center for Animal Law Studies and the Humane Society of the United States, who were also interested in learning how the program progresses and provided information during the developmental stage of the clinic.

The clinic is anticipated to launch in the fall of 2011. The student extern will work as a case manager on pending cases, provide information and expertise during animal cruelty investigations, as well as prepare innovative charging documents for prosecutors.  The student will also spend time in municipal and district court plea negotiations, hearings, and trial.  Bray says, “I expect you will find more efficient investigations, more cases being charged and successfully prosecuted, more action on animal cruelty complaints, and hopefully stiffer punishment in cases of animal cruelty.” The end result being: safer communities for both people and animals.

Along with updating forms, statute binders, and creating a database of animal cruelty complaints from the last three years, Bray says she hopes the clinic will help make Douglas County the safest county in the state for both pets and people.  Officials in both Johnson County and Shawnee County, Kansas, have already expressed initial interest in expanding the clinic to their counties. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the clinic or how you can set one up at your law school or in your community, contact Katie at katie@gamedogguardian.com