Stalking

Paper Summary:

The paper defines stalking and discusses five specific categories of stalkers based on motivations and context. The paper looks at anti-stalking legislation and the role of law enforcement in this area. The paper notes, however, the complexity of stalking behavior that cannot easily be remedied by a set of laws. The paper discusses how communities not only need to penalize offenders, but need to determine when psychological care is needed in order to eliminate this conduct.

From the Paper:

"Most Americans first heard the word "stalking" in the mid- 1990s associated with celebrities and politicians. However, it is now known that people, well known and not, are victimized by stalkers. The U.S. Department of Justice believes that this behavior is much more prevalent than previously believed. Survey findings indicate that stalking affects about 1.4 million victims annually (Tjaden, 1997, p.1)."
"It is also estimated that women are two times as likely to be physically assaulted than stalked, but three times more likely to be stalked than sexually assaulted. Thus, in terms of frequency, stalking falls in between the other two crimes, although stalking situations may include one or both of these behaviors. Overall, however, stalking remains a comparatively unexamined source of criminal behavior."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author
• Brewster, M. (1998). An Exploration of the Experiences and Needs of Former Intimate Stalking Victims. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
• Harmon, R. B., Rosner, R. & Owens, H. (1995). Obsessional harassment and erotomania in a criminal court population. Journal of Forensic Sciences 40: 188-196.
• Kienlen K K, Birmingham D L, Solberg K B, O'Regan J T, Meloy R (1997). A comparative study of psychotic and nonpsychotic stalking. Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry Law 25:317-334
• Meloy, J. R. (1998). The psychology of stalking: Clinical and Forensic Perspectives. New York: Academic Press

More papers on Stalking:

• Persuasive Essay # 135948 : "Stalking as an Offense Against Women"
• Term Paper # 111037 : "Stalking Conundrum"
• Article Review # 149409 : "Stalking - An Overview"
• Essay # 57919 : "Stalking"

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