More information
Idea behind this:
With this database, the law enforcement process in the several fields that involve animals is controlled by the public and people interested in animals. This transparency will lead to a more animal-friendly attitude and a more animal-friendly decision making process by policemen, state attorneys, veterinarian offices, and minor and higher courts. Such transparency will prove if the confidence in the authorities is justified and the legislation respected. And this is regardless of whether the animals have their own “Animal Attorney” in the cases or not.
Side effects:
The decisions and the legal motivation can be compared to the legislation. This can be elaborated if the weighing up of interests between the animal and its owner is the result of due process. This, however, all depends on the local legal framework on full transparency. In states where, for instance, the permits on animal testing are given out by the local authority, such a transparent database – taking possible secrecy on the experiments into account – will show if the company or university will overrule the animal’s interests systematically or only case by case. Sometimes they will also show if the legally described interests of the animal win. Analyzing this large and transparent database will be used as a source for the law revising process if needed.
Alternatives:
The scientific discussion is often reduced to the few, officially published decisions in the criminal, administrative and civil field. Even if the database is small and lacks the original documents, the decisions can be worked on, although with less convincing character in the legal and political debate.
