Stalking

Question 1

What are some behaviours that may be displayed in a stalking offence?

Answer 1

Following a person, contacting them, publishing any material related to a person, watching them

Question 2

What is the reasonable person standard used for?

Answer 2

Stalking has to involve fear/distressed. To know if the defendant ought to know that the cause of their misconduct will cause fear is done using the reasonable person standard.

Question 3

What is the Stalking Protection Order?

Answer 3

In 2019, UK brought it in
2 years or indefinite time period
Series of prohibitions (no recording, no surveillance)
The stalkers has to attend assessments for treatment and for their mental health
Police are working with forensic psychologists and lawyers
Identified which behaviours involved in stalking

Question 4

What is stalking?

Answer 4

Repeated behaviour
Unwanted by victim (intrusive)
Victim fears for safety (self or others)
Focuses on cause or consequences of acts

Question 5

What are typologies?

Answer 5

A typology is grouping individuals based on their behaviour
There are over 20 for stalking
Usually includes the stalker having mental disorders or stalkers prior relationship with victim

Question 6

What was Mullen et al’s typologies?

Answer 6

Rejection
Resentful/Retaliatory
Intimacy seeker
Incompetent suitor
Predatory

Question 7

What did Mullen suggest about rejected types?

Answer 7

Starts after a relationship has broken down
Wants to reconcile or get revenge
Creates a pseudo-relationship
Most persistent/intrusive
Most common in intimate partners
Less psychotic
Personality problems
Can have substance abuse issues
Jealous
Controlling/possessive in the relationship
Violent
Entitled
Aware when the consequences are too high e.g. contacted by police and decide to stop stalking behaviour

Question 8

What did Mullen suggest about the resentful/retaliatory type?

Answer 8

Get retribution
Perpetrator believes they are a victim of justice
Behaviours designed to frighten victim
Stalking persists after positive reinforcement
High rates of psychosis and substance abuse

Question 9

What is the difference between retaliatory and resentful type?

Answer 9

Retaliatory: brief outburst driven by recent injury and tied to victim

Resentful: long process at making someone fearful, victim is the embodiment of those who have wronged them in life, perpetrator wants vindication, resentment preceded event

Question 10

What did Mullen suggest about the Intimacy Seekers type?

Answer 10

Trying to establish a relationship
Convinced the victim will reciprocate
Tend to be lonely and older
Feel they’re due a relationship
Fantasy of the relationship is better than the loneliness
Overvalue positive feedback they get from victims
See hidden messages
Receive value from being in love
Very persistent
High psychosis
High value on victim
Less intrusive in pursuit
If rejected, they can be violent

Question 11

What did Mullen suggest about the incompetent suitors type?

Answer 11

Want a relationship due to lust
Looking for a date or a sexual encounter but nothing long term
Poor social skills
Entitled
Understand sanctions
Ignores how the victim feels
They don’t believe they are in love
Stop behaviour easily compared to other types, but they then direct their attention onto another person
Low psychosis
Narcissistic
Obsessive

Question 12

What are the differences between intimacy seekers and incompetent suitors?

Answer 12

Intimacy seeker: true love quest, fantasy of love, continue with same victim, believes victim shares feelings

Incompetent suitors: trying to get a date, quit easily and move onto the next, doesn’t care if the victim shares feelings

Question 13

What did Mullen suggest about the predatory type?

Answer 13

Least common
Sexual attack
Don’t want victim to be in fear
Paraphilias
Substance abuse and personality disorders
Pursuits are short and more violent
Less focused on a single victim

Question 14

Why are typologies important? What’s an issue with them?

Answer 14

Trajectory
Likelihood of violence
Likelihood of future stalking
Insight into who the victim might be
However, they are over 20 types and therefore stalkers may fit into more than one type

Question 15

What were the typologies of Kienlen et al 1997?

Answer 15

Divided 25 stalkers into 2 groups
Psychotic stalkers: more likely to visit the homes of the victims, less inclined to surveillance the victim however.
Non-psychotic: verbal threats, higher risk of assault, possessed weapons at the time of the stalking

Question 16

What’s some advantages and limitations of Kienlen’s study?

Answer 16

Helps mental health professionals prepare for court evaluations, helps lawyers understand issues of criminal responsibility

An issue is that it ignores stalking motivation/choice of victims, which can be used to predict the violence and nature of the stalking

Question 17

What were Harmon et al’s typologies in 1995?

Answer 17

First axis was Affectionate/amorous or
Persecutory/angry. Second axis was the nature of the relationship e.g. work, media, acquaintance

Affectionate/amorous: sexual intentions, on occasion can get angry when rejection occurs, romantic pursuit

Persecutory/angry: real/imagined mistreatment, occurred in professional relationships, have a wider range of psychiatric diagnoses than the other group.

Question 18

What are some limitations of Harmon’s findings?

Answer 18

Didn’t distinguish between the characteristics of the subjects, e.g. affetionate/amorous group: more likely to be single, groups didn’t differ between age, gender or psychiatric diagnoses.
Also, stalkers fluctuate between benign intentions and vengeful ones