Via www.humanesociety.org:
"Is there any evidence of a connection between animal cruelty and human violence?
Absolutely. Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology... have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty...research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of other forms of violence, including child abuse, spousal abuse, and elder abuse. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association considers animal cruelty one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder."
A registry for individuals who have been investigated and convicted of intentional and/or malicious cruelty to animals is an important step in the prevention of repeated and/or escalated violent behavior.