States look to KO cockfights.

• Author: Griffin, Jonathan
• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - Crackdown on cockfighting

States are cracking down on cockfighting, the illegal practice of pitting two roosters in a fight to the death while people place bets. Many legislatures are working to increase penalties for participating in or watching a cockfight, or for having paraphernalia, such as leg knives. In 2013, 15 states introduced more than 30 pieces of related legislation and enacted three.

News items document the enduring popularity of cockfighting. In November, Haines City, Fla., officials busted a cockfight and arrested 14 people. In August, police in the Los Angeles and the Houston areas raided suspected cockfighting rings and confiscated a total of nearly 700 birds. The same month, officials in Louisiana confiscated over 700 birds, the largest animal seizure in state history.

Cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states, but how the states punish the perpetrators varies widely. In 13 states--Alabama, California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia--cockfighting is a misdemeanor for first-time offenders. In Tennessee, for example, conviction carries a $50 fine.

Of those 13 states...