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How prevalent is animal abuse in Pennsylvania?

News Article

August 17, 2018

A look at statewide animal abuse data approaching the one-year anniversary of Libre’s Law

Over the past year, 70 percent of animal abuse offenses filed in Pennsylvania were for neglect of an animal. The anti-cruelty law (Act 10) that strengthened the protection of animals, commonly known as Libre’s Law, went into effect in late August of 2017.

Among some of the changes to Pennsylvania’s previous animal cruelty laws include stricter tethering regulations, harsher penalties for certain animal abuse offenses and the requirement that anyone convicted of an animal abuse offense forfeit their animal(s).

This infographic highlights statewide data about animal abuse cases and offenses (Title 18- Sections 5532, 5533 and 5534) committed statewide in the last year. A high-resolution file of the graphic is available for download at www.pacourts.us under Media Resources.

PA Courts InfoShare is a monthly product of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) that visually highlights the work of the courts with interesting data and statistics obtained through the judiciary’s case management systems, interactive dashboards and other research. Reproduction is permissible with source cited.

 

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Media contact:   Kimberly Bathgate, 717-231-3331