Psycho-Criminological Approaches to Stalking Behavior

An International Perspective

Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Lorraine L. Sheridan, Oliver Chan

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781119565482, 9781119565413
• eBook ISBN: 9781119565475
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Forensic Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Provides multidisciplinary coverage of stalking behavior worldwide from both academic and practical approaches

Psycho-Criminological Approaches to Stalking Behavior: The International Perspective is a thorough, up-to-date overview of stalking perpetration and victimization in different regions of the world. This authoritative book brings together contributions from a team of leading scholars and practitioners that discuss a diverse range of interrelated topics and issues relevant to stalking and intrusive behavior from both theoretical and practical contexts. Whereas most of the literature on the subject is written from a Western viewpoint, this unique volume examines empirical research, policies, and practices from Asian and African countries, as well as those from Europe, the Americas, and Australia, to provide a truly global perspective.

Divided intothree parts, the book first examines theories and research on cross-national differences in stalking among college students, ex-partner stalking in Finland, cyberstalking victimization in Singapore, the heterogeneity of stalking and stalkers in Australia, public familiarity and understanding of stalking/harassing legislation in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and more. The book's second part focuses on national portraits of stalking in a number of understudied populations, including Lithuania, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, and South Africa. Finally in the third section of the book, the chapters largely emphasize policy and best practice, including the Dutch model of policing stalking, risk assessment and management of stalking in Sweden, psycho-legal responses to online interpersonal harm, the German approach to stopping stalking, the United Kingdom response to assessing and managing stalking, and the work of the Danish Stalking Centre. This important contribution to the field:

• Offers insights from international professionals applicable in other geographical contexts
• Discusses the factors that influence social awareness and responses to stalking
• Explores the importance of victim vulnerability factors when managing risk of stalking
• Presents real-world case studies of stalking behavior, intimate partner violence, stalking victimization, and statutory and law enforcement efforts
• Reviews the intervention practices of the support institutions and justice systems of different countries

Psycho-Criminological Approaches to Stalking Behavior: The International Perspective is an ideal primary or supplementary text for courses in criminology, criminal justice, forensic psychology, and social and behavioral science, as well as a valuable source of reference for those who deal with offenders or victims of stalking, including law enforcement agents, mental health professionals, legal practitioners, social services personnel, and policy makers.

PART I
Theories and Research

1
Stalking and Cyberstalking Victimization Research: Taking Stock of Key Conceptual, Definitional, Prevalence, and Theoretical Issues

Erica R. Fissel¹, Bradford W. Reyns², and Bonnie S. Fisher¹

¹ School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

² Department of Criminal Justice, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, USA

INTRODUCTION

Stalking is an age‐old predatory behavior discussed in the ancient writings of Greek physician Hippocrates, researched in the twentieth century by French psychiatrist Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault, given notoriety by celebrity victims (e.g., John Lennon, Jody Foster, David Lettermen), sung about in popular “love” songs (e.g., The Police, “Every Breath You Take,” Sarah McLachlan, “Possession,” Garbage, “#1 Crush”), and viewed as Fatal Attraction in movie theaters worldwide (Davis, 2016; Stewart & Fisher, 2013). Media coverage, particularly surrounding the death of actress Rebecca Schaeffer by her stalker in 1989, helped to raise public awareness about stalking as a social problem. Her death, coupled with the murder of five women in Orange County who had been stalked by former boyfriends or spouses, prompted the California legislature to pass the first anti‐stalking law in 1990. These cases galvanized national and state attention as to the seriousness of stalking and, shortly thereafter, a flurry of anti‐stalking legislation swept across the United States. By the end of the 1990s, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the federal government had passed anti‐stalking laws. Although numerous constitutional challenges to these laws were waged for being overly broad or vague and, therefore, violating the First Amendment or the Due Process Clause, the courts generally upheld the laws (Beagle, 2011).

Today, a large body of stalking victimization research has been produced and researchers in a variety of disciplines continue to be interested in estimating the prevalence and incidence, and identifying both the predictors and consequences, of stalking victimization. Further, several educational and victim service organizations, such as the National Victim Center and Survivors of Stalking (NVCSS), have been created to address stalking victims' legal needs and the potentially negative quality of life effects, including psychological trauma and financial costs. These organizations also provide training on how communities can effectively enhance their response to stalking (see e.g., Stalking Resource Center, 2018: http://victimsofcrime.org/our‐programs/stalking‐resource‐center). In light of the grim statistics about the extent of stalking, such as the finding that three out four women murdered by an intimate partner were stalked in the prior year (Black et al., 2011; McFarlane et al., 1999; Stalking Resource Center, 2018: http://victimsofcrime.org/our‐programs/stalking‐resource‐center), law enforcement and prosecutors are now routinely trained in stalking‐related issues (e.g., connecting incidents, protection orders). Work also continues to raise public awareness about the realities of stalking, with the NVCSS collaborating with the Office on Violence Against Women to promote January as National Stalking Awareness month each year in the United States.

Although stalking is defined legally throughout the United States for criminal justice purposes and has also been labeled a public health concern, measuring who has been stalked and, hence, producing prevalence and incidence rates, has been a daunting challenge for scholarly researchers. This challenge has been compounded by the development of the internet and the ability to virtually stalk someone 24/7. In the first section of this chapter, we take stock of stalking research found within criminology and victimology to critically view how stalking and cyberstalking have been conceptualized and defined to discuss the measurement issues underlying stalking and cyberstalking estimates. To fully understand the extent to which people experience stalking and who the victims are, the second section reviews both adult and college student studies to present prevalence estimates of stalking and cyberstalking, and descriptions of t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Series Preface
• Introduction: Stalking Behavior in a Global Context
• PART I: Theories and Research
• PART II: National Portraits
• PART III: Policy and Best Practice
• Conclusions
• Author Index
• Subject Index
• End User License Agreement