MEDIA ALERT

Contact:        Jim Gemmell
                     Director of Communications, Youth Alternatives Ingraham
                     207.523-5014; jgemmell@youthalternatives.org

What:            A National Town Meeting on the Links between Child Abuse, Domestic
                     Violence, Elder Abuse, and Animal Abuse
Where:          Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland
When:           June 8 and 9, 2008

Strategizing The Link

A National Town Meeting on Advancing Public Policy and Community Coalitions

PORTLAND (May 5, 2008) —  A national group of experts in animal welfare, veterinary practice, humane societies, social services, criminal justice, prosecution, and education will gather in Portland for a one-of-a-kind conference to discuss the links between animal cruelty and violence against people, and how community coalitions can resolve violence more effectively by coordinating their efforts.

Strategizing The Link, A National Town Meeting on Advancing Public Policy and Community Coalitions, will be held on June 8 and 9, 2008 in Portland. The event is hosted by The Linkage Project, a division of Youth Alternatives Ingraham (YAI).

Event coordinators chose Portland for this historic event because of the pioneering work being done by The Linkage Project and Maine’s long-standing statewide efforts in this field, said Phil Arkow, Interim Director for Human-Animal Bond programs at the American Humane Association.

The Linkage Project, a unique program based in Maine at YAI, is an innovative way to work toward developing humane communities.  Its goal is to raise awareness about the connection between cruelty against animals and violence against people and to take action by bringing together diverse public and private organizations in Maine.  Through the efforts of the Linkage Project at YAI, Maine has led the way in organizing a statewide effort toward this goal. 

The Town Meeting in June will look at ways of establishing community coalitions throughout the country to raise awareness of the link and advocate for policy changes.  The Town Meeting presents a unique opportunity for professionals and noted experts from around the country and from all the areas involved in and related to the link between animal cruelty and human violence to connect, network, and plan for next steps. 

Speakers include:

·        Phil Arkow: American Humane Association, and the Animal Abuse & Family Violence Prevention Project of the Latham Foundation

·        Frank Ascione, Ph.D.: Professor of Psychology, Utah State University, and Adjunct Advisor to American Humane on The Link

·        Barbara Boat, Ph.D.: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati

·        Howard Davidson, J.D.: American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law

·        Mark Kumpf, C.A.W.A.: National Animal Control Association

·        Randall Lockwood, Ph.D.: Anti-Cruelty Initiatives and Legislative Services, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

·        Lila Miller, D.V.M.: ASPCA Veterinary Outreach

·        Gary Patronek, V.M.D., Ph.D.: Animal Welfare and Protection, Animal Rescue League of Boston

·        Allie Phillips, J.D.: Director of Public Policy, American Humane Association

·        Ken Shapiro, Ph.D.: Animals and Society Institute

·        Bernie Unti, Ph.D.: The Humane Society of the United States

Speakers and other experts in this field will be available for interview in the days leading up to and during the Town Meeting.  Consider some of the following questions for a compelling interview on your program or in your publication:

·        What are the connections between animal cruelty and violence against people?

·        How are child protection, animal welfare, domestic violence and elder abuse agencies working together to address this issue?

·        What systems are in place in Maine that might be introduced in other states?

·        When a social services professional investigating a case of child abuse, domestic violence, or elder abuse, encounters animal abuse in the home, can
         they contact animal welfare without violating client confidentiality laws?

·        Can a domestic violence victim include the family pet in a protection from abuse order? What happens to the pets if the victim seeks shelter from a DV 
         agency?

·        When animal control officers are called to a reported case of a neglected or abused animal, are law enforcement agencies alerted when there is suspected
         violence toward the human family members in that home?

·        Why is animal hoarding considered pathological behavior, and how is it linked to human suffering?

·        What does Maine do in response to hoarding situations?

please contact:

Jim Gemmell: (207) 523-5014 jgemmell@youthalternatives.org