StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Stalking Victimization in the United States - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
It is behavior which causes harassment and fear and poses a threat to the security of victims and others. The diverse nature of stalkers and their crimes make it difficult to contain. The threat has further been…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.6% of users find it useful
Stalking Victimization in the United States
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Stalking Victimization in the United States"

Running head: Stalking Victimization Stalking Victimization in the United s Institution:Abstract.Stalking Victimization in the United States is widely prevalent. It is behavior which causes harassment and fear and poses a threat to the security of victims and others. The diverse nature of stalkers and their crimes make it difficult to contain. The threat has further been heightened through the stalkers abuse of technology to track victims. The need of the hour is for stronger legislation to arrest and prosecute stalkers and the generation of public awareness about the nature of this crime.

Stalking Victimization in the United States Stalking may be defined as any unwanted contact which constitutes a threat or harassment, and induces fear in the victim. Stalking behavior includes unsolicited phone calls, letters, e-mails and gifts; following the victim; turning up unnecessarily at the victim’s residence or workplace; spreading information or rumors about the victim. (BJS web site). Contrary to popular perception, Stalking Victimization is not confined to celebrities, but is widely prevalent in American society today, with 1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men likely to encounter this crime.

The majority of stalkers are known, even intimately, to their victims. In addition to the generation of fear and the disruption of lives, stalking is often the precursor to lethal violence. In this context, stalking has rightly been classified as a crime in all the States of America, although legal definitions may vary across jurisdictions. (COPS web site). The distinct characteristics of the crime make stalking “hard to identify, investigate, and prosecute” (The Police Chief, January 2009).

As stalking behaviors do not conform to any norm, there can be no fixed response. Stalkers defy any standard psychological profiling, as their motives and backgrounds vary considerably. When stalking is linked to domestic violence, as it often is, the stalking aspect of the crime tends to be overlooked. Investigators are frequently hindered by the blurring of jurisdictions, as stalkers pursue victims across state borders. It is difficult to protect the victims, as stalkers are largely persistent, even in the face of punitive action.

(The Police Chief, January 2009). Another contemporary facet of Stalking Victimization is the abuse of technology by stalkers to harass their victims. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, encourage the sharing of personal information. These sites are mined by stalkers to keep track of the victim’s activities. Tracking devices, such as Global positioning systems and cell phones, lend themselves to use by stalkers through the monitoring of radio signals. Caller ID spoofing makes it particularly difficult for victims to block stalkers from access to their cell phones.

Video surveillance through high-tech cameras makes video voyeurism a tool for stalkers. Similarly, wireless communication devices, such as cordless phones, can be used to invade privacy through eavesdropping. Computer spy ware enables stalkers to follow their victims’ activities on the internet. Cyber stalkers can send harassing e-mails from several accounts, hack into the victim’s account, impersonate the victim on social sites, establish contact through a false persona, and post online information about the victim.

Victims need to become tech-savvy, and conversant with anti-spy software, to combat this menace. (Stalking Resource Center web site). Victims of stalking have recourse to several help lines. The first step is for the victim to accept that he is not at fault in the situation and acknowledge the severe emotional trauma that stalking engenders. A detailed record of all the incidents of stalking, including photographs, letters, phone-answering messages and eyewitness depositions, can facilitate subsequent legal action against the stalker.

Support groups and counseling services are available. A restraining order, or a ‘no-contact order,’ can be obtained from the court, with violations leading to arrests. Victim compensation programs reimburse victims for the expenses incurred. (Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center web site). There can be no doubt that Stalking Victimization in the United States constitutes a serious threat to social security. To combat this crime, law enforcement and community agencies should coordinate responses to the victims needs, in terms of security, counseling, and legal aid.

Stronger legislation, which unambiguously classifies stalking as a felony, is needed to facilitate the rapid arrest and prosecution of stalkers. Finally, a greater public awareness about the definition of stalking and the recourses available to victims must be created to form a wall of defense against this heinous crime. (Stalking Resource Center). Only a proactive partnership between law enforcement agencies and the community can combat Stalking Victimization.References.Stalking Resource Center.

"Stalking Victimization in the United States" Largest-ever National Study on Stalking a Wake-up Call, Says National Victim Advocacy Group. Retrieved 24 January 2010 fromhttp://www.ncvc.org/src/AGP.Net/Components/DocumentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=45874Stalking Victimization.OVC web site. What are the facts about stalking? Retrieved 24 January 2010 fromwww.rainn.org/pdf-files-and-other./Public./stalkingvictimization1.pdfStalking Resource Center. How technology can be used by stalkers.

Retrieved 24 January 2010 fromhttp://www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx?dbID=DB_StalkingTechnology139Bureau of Justice Statistics. Stalking/Intimidation. Retrieved 24 January 2010 fromhttp://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=314US Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Stalking. Retrieved 24 January 2010 fromhttp://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1073Sonia E. Velazquez et al. The Police Chief, vol. LXXVI, no. 1, January 2009. Mobilizing a Community Response to Stalking: The Philadelphia Story.

Retrieved 24 January 2010http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=1702&issue_id=12009

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Stalking Victimization in the United States Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562209-stalking-victimization-in-the-united-states
(Stalking Victimization in the United States Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562209-stalking-victimization-in-the-united-states.
“Stalking Victimization in the United States Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1562209-stalking-victimization-in-the-united-states.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Stalking Victimization in the United States

Stalking in America

The reason why annual estimates are high compared with lifetime estimates is because stalking in repeated and ongoing victimization.... Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: stalking in America: findings from the national violence against women survey Question one: contributors of research The contributing research entities in this paper are the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).... Question two: How much stalking by percentages and numbers Over a lifetime, 8....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Working against Racial, Class and Gender Discrimination

They also take into consideration the historical and contemporary practices of criminal justice which is shaped and experienced by the racial and ethnic minorities and majorities, the rich and poor and by men and women, so as to help us understand the numerous social realities of justice in the united states; as this essay will try to examine the pattern of execution based on race, gender and class.... These choices are important especially in a society like ours, the united states; which has a long history of both violence and official racism....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

European Penal System

Some may even admit that Europe's most advanced nations' chronological history became the pedagogue to united states' governmental structure and contributed to the framework of their constitution.... hellip; European countries such as united Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy are ensamples to countries seeking to modernize their way of living and economy....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Love is merely a madness and deserves a dark house and a whip as madman do

Stalking Victimization in the United States.... million people who are over the age of 18 years are stalked each year in the united states and majority are stalked by current or former intimate partners whom they are or were in love with (Baum, 2009).... Unfaithfulness is reported to be the cause of many divorces in the united states.... ?? Some of those forms are stalking, unfaithfulness, obsession, unrequited love among others....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Sexual Violence

The article emphasizes the devastating impact of this sexual violence on the lives of millions of people in the united states.... n average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the united states, according to findings released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).... Sexual violence against female shows gradual increase in recent years in the united states....
2 Pages (500 words) Article

The Need to Change Social Belief Systems when they are Counterproductive to Ethical Social Policy

This is not an opinion that is universal and there are those that believe that the practice of slavery in the united states was merely a continuation of economic policies that had existed since ancient times.... The idea of slavery is one that has been a plague upon the ethics of the united states as they were determined to be defined by offering equal opportunity to all people.... From the beginning, the ideology of the united states was given a parameter through the Declaration of… dence which discussed freedom and liberty for all men, but the social construction of the period did not consider those of African heritage as being a part of those freedoms....
6 Pages (1500 words) Thesis

Why Are Youth Often the Victims

edia accounts of stabbing attacks on youth in the united Kingdom have brought this issue into focus, in the nation's consciousness.... Current, relevant theories of victimization have been outlined, which form the basis for the causes of youth victimization.... hellip; Variations in lifestyles include the differing exposure to dangerous places, times and other situations in which there are high risks of victimization.... From this perspective, an individual's lifestyle is a critical factor that determines the risks of criminal victimization....
11 Pages (2750 words) Coursework

Social and Political Order

The author of this essay "Social and Political Order" casts light on the sociological issues of the modern world.... According to the text, there's no doubt that the fact that the global community functions more or less consistently is predetermined by a certain form of social and political order....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us