Is there HOPE? How and Why a Prosecutor should be Proactive in Combatting Animal Cruelty

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is devoted not only to prosecuting animal cruelty offenders, but also in combatting animal cruelty through prevention and education. Assistant District Attorney and Animal Cruelty Specialist Jessica Macklin Milligan recently created a new program called HOPE (Helping Our Pets through Education). HOPE is designed to educate elementary school aged children on how to properly care for their pets and to understand the consequences of animal cruelty, dog fighting and cockfighting. The goal of this program is to instill empathy in our young people, to teach students how to recognize animal abuse, and to show them what they can do to stop it.  Topics of this webinar will include:

1. 1. Why the H.O.P.E. program was started;
   2. How it was started;
   3. How the program is being implemented in schools;
   4. A general explanation of the curriculum being taught to kids;
   5. How the students are responding;
   6. The feedback we are receiving from teachers or the kids;
   7. The ultimate goals of the program; and
   8. Why every district attorney’s office should be reaching out to their community to stop the commission of crimes, rather than just reacting to those crimes after they are already committed.

This webinar is beneficial for prosecutors who frequently work on animal cruelty cases or those that plan to start some form of public outreach, as well as those involved that care for victim animals or support cruelty prosecutions.