Stalking Flashcards
What is stalking?
Repeated, unpleasantly intrusive acts which create apprehension, which can be understood by a reasonable fellow citizen to be grounds for becoming fearful
- repeated
- unwanted
- victim fears for safety
- broad language and focus on cause or consequence of acts, not acts themselves
- all contact is good contact
UK legislation around stalking
- Protection from Harassment Act 1997, first UK legislation that covered stalking
- The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 created 2 new offences:
1) Stalking which involves a course of conduct that amounts to stalking
2) Stalking which can be committed in 2 ways: stalking involving fear of violence, stalking involving serious alarm or distress
List of stalking behaviours
- Following a person
- Contacting, or attempting to contact a person by any means
- Publishing any statement or other material relating or purporting to relate to a person, or purporting to originate from a person
- Monitoring
- Loitering
- Interfering with property
- Watching or spying
Newest legal steps
Stalking protection orders (2019)
- police apply to magistrates court
2 years, indefinite time period
series of prohibitions and positive requirements
- major case reviews
What is the motivation behind stalking?
(Typologies - grouping reasons for behaviours)
mental disorder
stalker’s prior relationship with victim
primary motivation of the stalking
Mullen et al.
grouped based on function of their behaviour
-rejected
-resentful and retaliatory
-intimacy seeker
-incompetent suitor
-predatory
Mullen et al - rejected
- starts after relationship breakdown (usually sexual)
- aim is to reconcile and/or get revenge
- stalking continues because behaviour creates pseudo relationship
- most persistent and intrusive
- less psychotic and more personality issues/substance abuse
- often jealous, controlling and possessive while in relationship
- can be violent
-entitled, self righteous - are aware enough to stop once consequences get too high
Mullen et al - resentful and retaliatory
- sees self as victim of injustice
- motive to get retribution
- behaviours designed to frighten and distress victim
- persists due to positive reinforcement of acts for stalker
resentful:
- more common
- lengthy campaign of harassment aimed at making someone fearful
- resentment preceded event that caused precipitated
retaliatory:
- brief outburst driven by recent injury
- tied to specific victim
Mullen et al - intimacy seekers
- trying to establish a relationship
- convinced that victim does or will reciprocate
- tend to be older and lonely, but can be narcissistic and feel that they are due a relationship
- continues because fantasy is better than loneliness
- there is value from being in love, even though it is one sided
- overvalue any positive feedback and see hidden messages in bad feedback or make excuses
- very persistent
- positive about themselves and deny problems
- high psychosis
- high value placed on victim
- tend to be less intrusive, but can become violent if rejected
Mullen et al - incompetent suitors
- similar to intimacy seekers
- trying to establish relationship due to loneliness or lust
- unlike intimacy seekers, they are more often looking for a date or sexual encounter
- poor social skills
- tend not to gain satisfaction from pursuit or are quick to stop, however more likely to recidivate with a new victim
Mullen et al - predatory
- least common
- behaviour is means to perpetrate an attack on a victim
- some gain pleasure from planning/sense of control/power
- typically male, have paraphilias, substance abuse and personality disorders
- commonalities with sex offenders
- less focused on single victim
- important to identify sexual element and treat paraphilia
-legal sanctions and potential incarceration needed
How useful are typologies
-tells us something about what is to be expected of each group
- risk of continued stalking
- likelihood of violence
- insight into what victim might be
- potential risk factors
