Target: Shabana Mahmood, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, United Kingdom
Goal: Ensure courts impose maximum lawful penalties, lifetime animal-ownership bans, and mandatory treatment in all cases involving animal cruelty or neglect, reflecting animals’ sentience.
A growing body of science indicates that animals are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, fear, and joy. As reported in a new scholarly work on sentience-based constitutionalism, legal systems still center humans and can leave animals effectively unprotected. When cruelty is exposed, survivors’ suffering is real and intense, yet consequences for abusers too often appear minimal. This gap between what animals endure and what offenders face breeds public outrage and, more importantly, further risk for vulnerable beings.
Researchers and advocates highlight how institutions frequently prioritize convenience over compassion. In practice, this can mean suspended sentences, small fines, or quick returns to acquiring animals after offenses. The moral facts of sentience demand that the justice response rise to the level of the harm. Where animals are starved, beaten, confined, or abandoned, the punishment must be certain and strong enough to deter the next offense.
To align justice with sentience, urgent steps are needed. Sign below to demand the Ministry of Justice support guidance and reforms that prioritize maximum penalties in proven cases, require lifetime bans on keeping animals for convicted offenders, mandate psychological assessment and treatment, and expand enforcement resources. These measures would signal that reported cruelty will meet a serious, consistent response—and that sentient animals matter under the law.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Lord Chancellor Mahmood,
Mounting scientific evidence shows that animals are sentient, and their suffering is no less real for being voiceless. Yet when cruelty and neglect are uncovered, penalties can appear inconsistent and insufficient. This mismatch between sentient harm and legal consequence undermines public confidence and puts more animals at risk.
We respectfully urge you to champion a justice response that reflects sentience. Please support the imposition of maximum lawful penalties in proven cases, mandatory lifetime bans on animal ownership for convicted offenders, and required psychological evaluation and treatment aimed at preventing reoffense. Clear guidance to prosecutors and courts—paired with stronger enforcement resources—would help ensure that abusers face serious, certain consequences.
A sentience-informed approach is not abstract theory; it is a practical safeguard for beings who can suffer. By aligning policy and sentencing practices with what science and common decency already recognize, the Ministry of Justice can help ensure that cruelty is met with meaningful justice and lasting protection for animals.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: RedGazelle15
