Harsher Criminal Penalties Against Dog and Cat Cruelty in Brazil

Tougher criminal penalties against cruelty towards dogs and cats have been imposed in Brazil. According to Federal Law No. 14,064, the penalties against mistreating dogs and cats consist of two to five years in prison, fines, and prohibition from keeping any animals.
The legislation modifies Article 32 of the Brazilian Environmental Crimes Law, enhancing the penalty when the animal in question is either a dog or a cat. The bill was enacted and promulgated in September 2020. 3

Provisions of the Law

The Environmental Crimes Law in Brazil governs offenses that pertain to acts of abuse, mistreatment, harm, and even mutilation of animals. As for dogs and cats, the particular provision provides for imprisonment for two to five years, along with fines and prohibition from keeping animals. Thus, cruelty against dogs and cats attracts a much harsher criminal penalty as compared to the general provision on animal mistreatment. The law explicitly identifies the dogs and cats as animals that attract the enhanced penalty.

Penalties May Include Imprisonment and Prohibition from Keeping Animals

Moreover, the law prescribes for incarceration as punishment. One who commits an offense under this law can also be fined and barred from having animals. The law was enacted via Law No. 14,064, which modified the already existing Environmental Crimes Law. The law came into force on the day of its publication. There have been some amendments to the wording of Article 32 related to some other types of animal-related behavior besides the two-to-five years provision on cruelty toward dogs and cats.

More Effective Legislation Against Animal Cruelty

It is a special kind of distinction introduced by the legislation to cover dogs and cats by means of linking their mistreatment to the prison terms ranging from two to five years. Besides, the law connects the mentioned prison term with fines and restrictions against keeping animals. Animal cruelty related to dogs and cats has become a subject for strict legal prosecution in Brazil because the conduct was considered to be a minor offense before the introduction of the new legislation that established more severe penalty for the mentioned cases.

The Meaning of Five-Year Maximum

The law establishes the range of two to five years of imprisonment for the cases of mistreatment instead of making each case punishable by five years of imprisonment. It depends on each case separately.Therefore, the official legislation is inclined towards referring to "up to five years" instead of "five years of imprisonment for those who harm any dog or cat."Moreover, according to Brazil’s existing legal system, if an animal dies because of such torture, the penalty can be raised to one-sixth to one-third according to the Environmental Crimes Act.