NCJ Number
172204
Date Published
1998
Length
108 pages
Annotation
This third annual report to Congress by the Violence Against Women Grants Office, as mandated under the Violence Against Women Act, examines what is being done nationally to address stalking; the focus is on sentencing and supervision of convicted stalkers.
Abstract
In the National Violence Against Women Survey discussed in the first chapter, victims cited the stalkers' desire to control them as the most frequent reason for the stalking behavior. The survey corroborated a strong link between stalking and abusive behavior in intimate relationships. The survey also provided evidence of the positive impact of State antistalking laws. An anecdotal survey of criminal justice practitioners found that stalkers continue to be charged and sentenced under harassment, intimidation, or other related laws instead of under a State's antistalking statute; criminal justice officials still do not fully understand, and therefore continue to underestimate, the potential dangerousness of stalkers to their victims. The results of both surveys underscore the need to provide comprehensive training to criminal justice personnel regarding the management of stalking cases. The report has a chapter on the status of State and Federal antistalking legislation, including a State-by- State review of statutes as they pertain to minors and other issues. Another chapter addresses the Department of Justice's efforts to respond to stalking and domestic violence. The report concludes with recommendations for next steps to address stalking and domestic violence. Appendixes contain a list of stalking code citations and constitutional challenges for each State, an outline of State criminal and civil laws on stalking by offense level, State harassment and threat laws by offense level, a summary of State harassment and other laws related to stalking, a selected bibliography, and list of resources.