Animal protection professionals rely on prosecutors to hold animal cruelty offenders accountable. When veterinarians, law enforcement, animal control officers, and animal care entities put significant resources into an investigation, it can be disheartening and frustrating when a prosecutor declines to charge on that case. Instead of looking for fault at the prosecutorial level, this presentation will hold up a mirror to the entities working these cases and reflect on primary areas that can be most improved in order to present a case more viable for prosecution.
In this presentation, Animal Legal Defense Fund Managing Attorney Emily Lewis, will not delve into the specifics of how to adequately conduct an animal cruelty investigation, but rather will provide insight—specific to animal protection professionals who are relatively new to the field—as to how to anticipate the needs of a prosecutor in your case investigation and presentation. Prosecutorial discretion notwithstanding, evidence tracking, veterinary collaboration, and report writing are fundamental to animal cruelty case processing, and are all within the control of individuals participating in these cases.
The webinar will emphasize how to strengthen and highlight these aspects of your animal cruelty cases in a way that will give them the consideration they deserve.
Other Webinars with this Organization
- Jan 19: Bodies of Evidence: Issues Arising from Search and Seizure of Animal Bodies in Cruelty Investigations
- Feb 22: Towards a More Humane Society: A One-Health Approach to Addressing Criminal Cruelty for Everyone Involved
- March 23: Always on the Map: An Introduction to Animal Law Issues in the US Territories
- May 9: Lions, and Tigers, and Speech, and Religion, Oh My! Applying an Animal-Forward Lens to First Amendment Jurisprudence
- June 22: Stand Up for the Animals with a Case You Can Stand Behind (this webinar)
- Aug 24: Lessons from the Field: How One Community Transformed Its Response to Animal Cruelty through Collaboration
- Nov 14: The Importance of Pre-Sentence Forensic Psychological Evaluations in Animal Cruelty Cases
Or click here to view and register for other upcoming Animal Welfare webinars on the JCH Platform.
This webinar is part of the JCH Summer School Program. From June 1-August 31, 2023, attendees will receive a certificate of attendance via email about one hour after the conclusion of a webinar.
Want to join us for other Summer School webinars? Check out our Summer School Calendar and register today!
Founded in 1979, the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.
This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.
