| Chapter 1: | Theoretical Foundations |
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humans. Beyond that, it is important that human treatment of animals be investigated not just for what it can teach us about human interaction, but because animals are moral beings whose lives have intrinsic worth, apart from our relationship to them” (p. 83). Unfortunately, for the most part the anthropocentrism and marginalization of issues relating to nonhumans that existed in the past continues in current environmental sociological and criminological work, albeit a few exceptions.
A brief review of criminological texts, reference materials, or journals, reveals an absence of issues on nonhumans, or issues of how humans relate to, or impact nonhumans. Only recently has the criminological community addressed issues of animal abuse and this inclusion has come primarily from Piers Beirne, rather than a movement of criminological work generally. Criminological work treats animal abuse as:
When included in criminological works, the treatment of nonhuman issues is largely atheoretical, with animals treated