State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, was joined Tuesday by animal welfare advocates in calling on the General Assembly to pass her bill that would allow judges to assign volunteer legal advocates to assist prosecutors in compiling information in animal cruelty cases.

House Bill 5344, nicknamed Desmond’s Law in memory of a New Haven pit bull mix who was beaten, starved, strangled and killed by his owner, who was upset his wife had left him.

The man received accelerated rehabilitation, which means the charges were erased from his record after he served a period of probation and met certain conditions.

During a news conference at the Capitol, Urban pointed out that from 2002 to 2012, only 18 percent of animal cruelty cases in Connecticut resulted in convictions as busy prosecutors dismissed the cases, did not pursue them or offered diversionary programs such as accelerated rehabilitation.

Urban said later Tuesday that from discussions she’s had with prosecutors, she has found they often do not have the resources to compile reports from police, animal control officers, veterinarians and others needed to prosecute the cases.

She said the advocates, who will be law school students from the University of Connecticut and possibly other universities, will be able to compile and provide that information to prosecutors at no cost while gaining real court experience.

“It’s a win-win situation,” she said for prosecutors, law students, animals and domestic violence victims.

Urban has been very active in Hartford in spotlighting research that shows those who commit acts of animal abuse are also very likely to be involved in domestic violence, elder abuse and school shootings.

Often animal cruelty is a precursor to those crimes.

“This is not just about helping animals but helping people,” she said.

Urban added that during tough budget times for the state, her legislation offers prosecutors additional resources at no cost to taxpayers while interrupting the cycle of violence.

Urban said she has 43 co-sponsors from both parties for the legislation, which now heads to the state House of Representatives for a vote.

“Animal cruelty is an act of violence. As of this year, the FBI is tracking it as a separate category of the same magnitude as manslaughter and armed robbery. It is also a red flag for future violent behavior,” Urban said.

In a statement from Urban’s office, state Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield, said, “Far too many animal cruelty cases have been dismissed or nolled in our courts resulting in weakened sentences. When these cases are met with accelerated rehabilitation sentences, the public has no way of knowing about the nature of the arrest."

“Placing animal advocates inside the courts to be a voice for defenseless innocent victims while sharing the serious nature of the violence could potentially change the judicial statistics, protect the public and at no cost to the state,” she said.

j.wojtas@theday.com