This webinar, taught by NCJFCJ Past President Judge John Romero, Jr., and Diane Balkin, contract attorney with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, will familiarize judges, attorneys, and child welfare professionals with the research on the links between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, generally speaking, and the links between animal cruelty and child abuse specifically. The faculty will talk about the practical implications of the link in child abuse cases and what judges need to know about and consider in their decision-making to promote child and pet welfare. Faculty will also offer suggestions on how judges can serve as community leaders, off the bench, to promote stakeholder and court/child welfare cross-system collaboration on prevention services and responses to address the link between animal cruelty and child abuse.
NCJFCJ Resources on Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence
Individuals interested in the webinars may also find useful two resources that the NCJFCJ has created on the links between animal abuse and interpersonal violence: