Causes of Stalking and Experiences

Causes of still hunt and ExperiencesStalking is an issue that affects 1.5 meg plurality each year. While wo workforce ar comm just now the general target, men digest become victims of stalkers as intumesce. Stalkers sh be similar traits, each of which arouse what they do. Often snips a stalkers motives ar as easily profiled as their traits. Stalkers common landly sh be similar psycheality char make believeeristics as easy as reasons for doing what they do (Michele, 2002). Stalking has been around since the beginning of snip. Men and women alike receive been stir up of such a crime be construct they any bungholet get it let come forward of their head that the opposite person does not want to accommodate anything to do with them, or they ar just obsessed with a str see red. It is just late that the UK Government has decided to make still hunt a crime in it self. This type of crime was labelled as hasslement, annoyance, or national force. It wasnt unt il the 80s and 90s that husk slicknesss were brought to the attention of the media and amply political policy makers (Michele, 2002).Discussion some(prenominal) stalkers argon loners. Because of the want of other kins, they become severely attached to the fancy of takeing a blood with the person who they be walk (Paul, 2000). In much contingencys, the lack of ability to name relationships starts at a young age. s lightlyly stalkers are neglected by their parents, and in operate are unable to form attachments with other volume later on in breeding. This causes them to be passing lonely, which is a main characteristic of a stalker. This lack of in the flesh(predicate) relationships, combine with a low self-esteem creates a run a risk oneselfing of worthlessness (Michele, 2002). They feel like without a connection with the person they are stem, they assimilate no purpose in life. This is one reason for approximately celebrity walk. The idea of establish ing a connection with a person of extravagantly status becomes appealing, because these stalkers imagine that they get out acquire a luxuriouslyer level of importance. When this does not happen, stalkers canful often become extremely angry, even violent toward that person. Frustration builds up, and they do not know how to mint candy with the situation. This can sometimes lead to stalker related deaths.A common characteristic shared by much or less(prenominal) stalkers is their lack of anxiety, and even shame in a stalking scenario (Paul, 2000). In most situations, a person would be absolutely beyond abash to be caught snooping around in some other persons personal be hankerings. Rummaging with individuals slobber in identify to admonishmine personal information would be so in tolerate that the sightly person would not even consider it. beyond that, if they were, in detail, caught in the act, most stack would be completely mortified. Stalkers, on the other hand, do not think this personal manner. No action is similarly out of line. Stalkers see it as an attempt to touch the love of the person that they are stalking. These people seem to be immune to anxiety and discomfort, and in turn they nonplus no trouble continuing in their pursuit.Some of the tasks that are carried out by stalkers are quite difficult. Stalkers drive way more(prenominal) intelligence than one would assume that they suck in. exactly although many an(prenominal) of them stand mental dis assures, most stalkers are much smarter than the average person. Obtaining information most a person is not usually the easiest task, simply stalkers whitethorn go as far as changing works in order to do so. Stalkers sometimes learn how to tap into phone conversations, hack into computers, and spend thousands of dollars to find a particular person, or information about that person.Psychologists have long puzzled over the way in which individuals may act differently in iden tical situations, resulting in various strands of personality possibleness to have emerged at bottom the realm of psychology each attempting to explain personality traits at various levels , these macrocosm experimental, psyc pedestaltric and clinical (Michele, 2000). Butt (2004) notes how Eysencks theory although presented as a clinical get on to on a lower floorstanding individual difference, was fundamentally root within the psychometric tradition which emerged from within the mainstream paradigm in the early on twentieth century. Most famously to appear from this era was the Likert scale- a range style response questionnaire which had been engineered for attitude measurement. For Eysenck however psychometric testing assist the process of assessing and predicting individual levels and likelihood of extroversion or neuroticism by reducing dimensions of personality ranging on a bipolar scale from insecure to stable to every organism classified as a normal extrovert or int rovert. According to Eysneck the reduction of variables in personality traits to either extroversion or neuroticism could be biologically explained by differences in the cortical and autonomic arousal systems . According to Eysnecks Personality Inventory individuals who were sensed with introspective, quiet, reserved and generally unsociable traits were classified as having a high N score whilst those who appeared optimistic, talkative, sociable and outgoing were prescribed a high E score. This lies in contrast to Eysencks model of a fixed personality which appears to be unaffected by external circumstance . In addition, pink-oranges re- workings and application of theories in the context of educational learning has shown how her intervention of the chromatic Line provides a dry land for facilitating change (Jens, 2008). Salmons intentions in developing the Salmon Line were aimed at providing a tool that could stretch beyond symptomatic model and assist the learning process. Th e success of technique has been attributed to the ways in which doings change and learning is enhanced through eliciting pupils and instructors experiences and identifying areas of conflict and collaboration. The approach is rich in subjective experience captivating the diversity that endures amongst individuals and allowing for reflexivity in its approach. In summary for PCT theorists, differences in personality is viewed as a reflection of the complex ways in which individuals build constructions of their human rather than a simply reflection of innate biological forces. Having contrasted Eysnecks theory with others people shall now explore to what use and purposes such theories can guard as well as their validity in either upholding an agency-structure Manichaean approach or seeking to dissolve it (Jens, 2008).Stalkers often besides possess the ability to manipulate friends and family members of the person who they are stalking (Thomas, 2003). They allow find ways to tric k the people into giving away information about the person they are harassing. This involves a higher level of intelligence than that of an average person. Often, people who stalk celebrities suffer from a checker called erotomania, which is similarly cognise as de Clerambaults syndrome. Stalkers fall deeply in love with a person and in their own mind, that person is in love with them as well. Stalkers will watch the actions of the person very closely, and even if they have never met the person before in their life, they believe that that person is in love with them as well. Stalkers may dream up an entire relationship, such as Margaret gibe did when she told people that she was David Lettermans wife. Not solo did she claim to be married to Letterman, but one day she showed up at his house carrying a pander which she demanded was his (Letterman stalker turn thumbs downed by train in apparent suicide)(Thomas, 2003).Sometimes people will stalk celebrities simply because they de sire the fame and status of those people. Michael Lewittes article attendant Celebrity Daters describes the lives of Lisa Chiafullo and Jennifer Young-two girls who are obsessed with be obsessed (Joseph, 2001). Each of these girls began go out the stars at young ages. While Jennifer grew up in luxury in Beverly Hills, Lisa was on welfare and in bad financial shape. While Jennifer enjoyed the high life and luxury of dating celebrities, Lisa sometimes counted on meals, shelter and silver from celebrities to keep her head above water. The desire is summed up perfectly by Lisa (Joseph, 2001). She incessantly wanted to be somebody so if she couldnt be somebody she wanted to date someone who was. This type of thinking is what causes many fans to turn into fanatics. They obsessed over people simply because of whom they are and how famous they are.Stalking is not only limited to celebrities, however average people are in danger of being stalked just as well (Thomas, 2003). In the case of simple regression stalkers, victims arent chosen based on celebrity status or popularity, rather their past relationships with the stalker. Simple obsession stalkers harass people who they have been intricate with in previous relationships, most of the time the victim puts an end to the relationship, which seems to be tragic to the stalker. Suddenly, the stalker feels that his or her life has been destroyed, and that they simply cannot live without having that person back. The reasoning behind the stalking is that they feel like they have no self worth in the world and that its a necessity to have the person back in order to regain their identity and power that they once had. The person falls into a deep estate of denial, refusing to accept the idea that they will have to go on in life without that person.Stalking is not always based on positive feelings and desire to by love. Some people stalk to seek revenge or simply out of subtle hatred for a person. Sometimes stalking c an occur in the work situation. A large number of murders due to stalking are carried out by people who have recently been fired from a job and who want to get revenge on the person who fired them. Psychotherapists sometimes become targets of stalking as well. They are severely harassed by former patients of theirs. Dissatisfaction, anger, and hatred are a few reasons that can furnish stalkers to harass and sometimes exclaim- or even kill their victims (Thomas, 2003).Taking charge and admitting there is a national help abuse problem is the key to outset to take back ones life, but the effective system must similarly be utilized to ensure individual rights are preserved and saved (Joseph, 2001). While great strides have been do in recent age to strengthen law of personalitys and educate judges on how to address municipal fierceness cases effectively, there is still work to be done. Some domestic personnel cases have languished in district circuit courts for years. Becaus e there are light justices and numerous loop holes in the written law, there are nefariouss who will return to society un-rehabilitated seeking revenge or to target another to abuse.The feminist movement during the 1970s fundamentally changed societys attitude towards domestic vehemence (Logan, 2006). Women who formerly had been battered and abused positive services for domestic abandon victims. They also lobbied for presidential term support of these services and raised awareness of domestic violence. Since then, numerous changes have taken place to address the problem of domestic violence. Class action lawsuits and civil-damage suits forced law enforcement agencies to revise their policies and adapt processes to split up address domestic violence. Domestic violence incidents were, in many states, completed as crimes against the state, resulting in the victim no longer having to press charges. law of nature enforcement officers today are often trained on how to respond to domestic violence incidents. The medical community also felt the need to act in response to domestic violence. In Delaware, for simulation, the Delaware Coalition against Domestic military group together with Delawares medical community and the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) developed a manual for healthcare providers addressing how to respond to domestic violence (Stephen, 2002). The DVCC also trains hospitals and clinics, law of nature officers, prosecutors, judicial officers, court personnel, executives, faith-based personnel, social workers, advocates, probation officers, and therapists throughout the First evoke on domestic violence.While most laws pertaining to domestic violence are on the state level, the federal government also responded to domestic violence. For example, it is a federal disrespect to travel from one state to another to commit domestic violence or to force an intimate partner to cross(a) state lines in an attempt to commit domestic viol ence. Additionally, the federal government passed interstate stalking legislation fashioning it a federal umbrage to cross state lines in an attempt to stalk a victim, and also barred offenders from carrying and owning weapons. The Violence against Women Act (VAWA) moreover protects victims of domestic violence and provides backing for services. VAWA also requires that the victim, if so desired, be heard at a liberate hearing with regard to the danger posed by the defendant. VAWA also stipulates that the victim be reimbursed for costs occurred to the victim in obtaining a restraining order and other costs connected to a domestic violence conviction. Another distinguished aspect of VAWA is the ability for battered and abused spouses and children of citizens and lawful durable residents to self-petition for separatist legal residency. Before VAWA, immigrant victims had to tending deportation when leaving an abusive relationship (Logan, 2006).Since the late 1970s, states took an active role in domestic violence taproom. active a third of domestic violence outreach and services are funded from state level (Stephen, 2002). Most states have laws that allow prosecutors to charge abusers without having to involve the victim. Many times victims are no longer are required to witness against their abusers. In 1997, a total of seven states and the nations capital had mandatory haul laws on the books that required law enforcement to make an arrest if there is turn out of an outrage. Even more states encouraged such arrests. A 1984 get wind showed that arrest abusers lowered the re-arrest rate within the next 6 months for domestic violence to 10%. However, more studies are needed to replicate these findings (Stephen, 2002).According to the study, most intimate partner abuse is not reported to law enforcement, making it difficult to know exactly how many men and women are abused. further about 20 percent of all rapes, 25 percent of corporal assaults, and 5 0% of stalking incidents against women were reported to law enforcement. The number of victimizations of men by intimate partners reported to practice of law is even smaller. A general printing that the police cannot help or would not do anything keeps victims from reporting abuse or stalking incidents (Stephen, 2002).Many positions related to domestic violence are held by social workers. Social workers often help clients build s support system by referring them to re inceptions they need and by helping them gain access to such services. Social workers may also be involved in crisis and long term counselling to help victims make epoch-making decisions. Additionally, social workers may develop and co-lead support groups for victims, lobby on a national or state level for funding, and perform advocacy work. advocacy work may include fund raising, training, explaining domestic violence, speaking to the media about domestic violence, developing materials to give to battered women, a nd community education. These are only a few of the essential functions performed by social workers in the domestic violence field.In 1993, future(a) the murder of a woman by her ex-lover, who violently harassed her in wound of a protection order before killing her , the New South Wales Parliament responded by enacting a separate umbrage of Stalking which is now part of the Crimes Act. Stalking is contribute that is harassing or flyspeck terrorening, directed at a person with the intention to cause intimidation or disquietude. It is a form of non-physical violence, causing psychological and turned on(p) abuse (Logan, 2006). The awakening of concern about this type of behaviour was caused by its prevalence in domestic violence cases. Firstly, the nature of the offence of stalking makes it inappropriate to prosecute nether the current law of criminal assault. link to this is the severe impact that stalking behaviour inflicts on its victims.The current law of assault is simply not broad enough to deal with the complexities that turn from an offence such as stalking. Assault is an act, which intentionally or recklessly causes another to apprehend contiguous and unlawful personal violence, charged downstairs s61 of the Crimes Act. At the essence of the offence of assault is a requirement that the scourge created by the offender must cause a fear of impendent violence in the victim. Stalking involves instances where a person does not explicitly holy terroren their victim but silently follows them around or sits external their dwelling. When placed in this context, such behaviour is dangerous beyond its immediate significance. Although, it is difficult to charge this as assault since it is not sufficient that the threat raises apprehension that violence will be inflicted at some time in the future.The inability to prosecute an offence that is of a similar nature to stalking under(a) the law of assault was apparent in the case of Knight. Knight had mad e a series of phone calls threatening to kill or injure those involved his former conviction, including a policeman, a magistrate and to a judge who later dismissed his appeal (Logan, 2006). On appeal to the woo of criminal Appeal, his conviction for these offences was quashed on the basis that the requirement of a threat of immediate violence was not satisfied. Even though his behaviour caused fear and was dangerous, it fell short of the necessary accuses and hence could not be okay under the law of criminal assault (Paul, 2000).Alternatively, the case of Ireland demonstrates an instance where an offence with characteristics that can be likened to stalking was successfully prosecuted under assault. The accused had proceeded to harass a woman whom he had a prior social relationship with, by making both silent and abusive phone calls, frequenting her place of work and home and taking photographs of the victim and her family. While fearful of personal violence the victim was also diagnosed with suffering a severe depressive illness. The offenders behaviour amounted to assault. This reasoning was founded on the fact that the victims fear of the caller arriving at her entre could be seen as close at hand(predicate) since he may be making the calls in close proximity to her home and able to arrive at her door within minutes. However the legal reasoning in this case, has been criticised for being rather artificial by stretching assault beyond its inhering legal meaning. As shown in Knight, most stalking cases are not suitable for prosecution under the elements of criminal assault.The main area of assault also poses difficulty for the prosecution of stalking. It is constituted by intention to either affect an unlawful contact or to create an apprehension of imminent unlawful contact in the mind of the victim (Larry, 2000). Despite that the common law of assault is now more accommodating to the offence of stalking, through developing an interpretation of deter ioration to include psychiatric as well as physical injury (Logan, 2006). It is still difficult to prove the impendency requirement in both of most stalking cases where the threat of harm is protracted rather than immediate (Sandra, 2007). Therefore, there is more rationale in treating stalking as a separate offence with its own proper(postnominal) elements rather than distorting the elements of assault to accommodate for the manifestations of stalking.The wide-ranging and severe impact of stalking further necessitates the need for a separate offence of stalking to deal with this crime. The psychological responses caused by stalking such as anxiety, fear, paranoia and often symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder have been acknowledged in a study as emotions induced by stalkers. This research has found that 94% of victims have made changes to lifestyle patterns such as temporary or permanent relocation, changing personal contact information and even identities. Perhaps more co mpelling is that victims of a recent psychopathological study indicated that they might have coped better with more tangible damage of physical assault than with a stalkers constant intrusion and menace (Paul, 2000).Furthermore, stalking is often a predecessor to severe and fatal physical violence as demonstrated in the case of Thomas v Burk. In this instance the applicant had been in a previous relationship with the complainant. After they separated, the complainant experienced many incidents of stalking such as receiving harassing telephone calls at work and being followed on a vacation trip. These incidents eventually escalated to physical abuse when on one occasion, the applicant stroked the complainant with such force across the grimace with an open hand that it caused injury to her eye. This is one of many cases that reflect the statistic that 80% of women who report being stalked by an intimate partner are eventually physically assaulted (Sandra, 2007). It therefore becomes apparent that there is a need to take preventative action. Such as prosecuting this behaviour under an offence of stalking at its early stage, rather than waiting until the situation amplifies and the victim is physically assaulted and only then taking action by prosecuting for assault. informal Harassment is defined as a continuum of behaviours that intimidate, demean, humiliate or mash (Diane, 2006). These behaviours range from the subtle forms that can accumulate into a hostile working, learning, or worshipping environment to the most severe forms of stalking, assault or rape. For many businesses, preventing familiar torment, and reason its managerial employees from sexual harassment charges, has become key goals of legal decision making. In contrast, many scholars complain that sexual harassment in education remains a forgotten secret, with educators and administrators refusing to admit the problem exist in their schools, or accept their legal and ethical responsibilities to deal with it. antecedently stalking behaviour has been prosecuted as offensive conduct under s4 of the compact Offences Act. An artificial reasoning was drawn by the courts that stalking was offensive from the fact that it was continued or repeated. While offensive conduct carries a light maximum penalty of three months this may be satisfactory for little instances of stalking but it is a clearly an inappropriate reflection of the magnitude of behaviour that amounts to intimidation and harassment. The protracted nature of stalking and the serious implications on its victims necessitates the need for a specific offence of stalking with its own appropriate penalty in order to capture the severity of the offence. This is arguably more effective than collapsing this offence into the category of offensive conduct or treating it as criminal assault. The offender would then, also have to bear the stigma of being labelled a stalker (Larry, 2000).In 2006 study on sexual harassment at c olleges and universities, it was reported that 62% of fe male college students and 61% of male college students report having been sexually harassed at their university, with 80% of the reported harassment being peer-to-peer. Fifty-one percent of male college students admit to sexually harassing someone in college, with 22% admitting to harassing someone often or occasionally (Diane, 2006). thirty-one percent of female college students admitted to harassing someone in college. Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances. The harasser can be anyone, such as a supervisor, a client, a co-worker, a teacher or professor, a student, a friend, or a stranger. The victim does not have to be the person directly harassed but can be anyone who finds the behaviour offensive and is affected by it. While inauspicious effects on the victim are common, this does not have to be the case for the behaviour to be unlawful. The victim can be a male or female. The harasser can be male or f emale. The harasser does not have to be of the opposite sex. The harasser may be completely in advised that his or her behaviour is offensive or constitutes sexual harassment or may be completely unaware that his or her actions could be unlawful.There are however, some instances where a criminal sanction may not constitute an effective strategy of deterring further stalking even though the impact on the victim is traumatic. This in the main applies to the category of stalkers classified as erotomaniacs who are mentally ill. It would be more appropriate to deal with these stalkers through the mental health system as they are impervious to judicial sanctions and thus require assertive psychiatric management. The inefficacy of using stalking legislation to punish a perpetrator who has a psychiatric condition was illustrated in the case of Strong v The Queen. The plaintiff in error had been sentenced to imprisonment for the offence of stalking a female hostile to s562ABof the Crimes Act 1900(NSW) (Paul, 2000). Whilst serving his sentence in prison, the accused began writing sexually suggestive letters to another female with whom he had no prior relationship. After his rel balance, he continued with his stalking behaviour by pursual and watching her and subsequently go to live opposite her home. This conduct became the basis of another substantive charge of stalking for which he was again imprisoned. On appeal of this conviction the issue was raised that he had been diagnosed with suffering symptoms of psychosis. The Criminal Court of Appeal agreed that in cases such as this, the offenders condition should be managed under mental health legislation rather than clear under the criminal law. This case demonstrates the inability of the criminal law to deter psychiatrically ill stalkers as the rate of recidivism of people in this category suggests. However, it is fundamental to note that the majority population of stalkers are from the intimate category of non- insane ex partners and are not mentally ill at the time of committing the offence.Courts can issue an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order under s562AE of the Crimes Act 1900(NSW) or an Apprehended Personal Violence Order under s562AI of the Crimes Act 1900(NSW). Unfortunately this method of dealing with stalking offences is often criticised for having little effect on serious obsessive behaviours exhibited by some offenders. A recent study has shown that after yield of an apprehended violence order, stalking and physical violence was reduced in the first six months only to reoccur in over half the cases of women who undertook the study. This shows that these orders are an inappropriate long-term prevention tool. Helen Katzen reported in her study that of the 22,556 apprehended violence orders granted in New South Wales in 1998, 9,647 breaches were recorded by the police (Joseph, 2001). The ease with which these orders are breached and the fact that they are not taken seriously is reflected in the case of Long field v Glover. The appellant had been in a relationship with the complainant. When the relationship ended she obtained an apprehended domestic violence order, which interdict the appellant contacting her. He disregarded this order and persisted calling her at home and at work, making threatening statements such as I operate your life (Michele, 2002). Similarly in the case of R v Powell, the appellant had broken into the victims premises in breach of an apprehended violence order and maliciously wounded her by stabbing her twice in the back. two these cases demonstrate the inability of these orders to deter offenders which highlights how inefficient a mechanism they, are for dealing with such behaviour.Furthermore, apprehended violence orders were found in many cases to be aggravating factors, which exacerbate the likelihood of violence (Paul, 2000). This was exemplified in the case of Igbinoba v Commissioner of New South Wales Police Service, where a court issuance of an apprehended domestic violence order aroused further anger in the defendant towards the complainant, which resulted in a threat being made towards her that he was going to get her (Paul, 2000). Shortly after receiving the order, the defendant started a campaign of harassment against her and physically assaulted her. Recent research shows that incarceration has a sobering effect on stalkers and allows them to adjust their lives. This supports the idea that a more preventative approach would be to immediately prosecute this behaviour under an offence of stalking with a prison sentence, rather than wait for breach of an order to occur by which time the situation may have escalated to a degree of violence.While, it is impractical to contain all stalking offences by criminalising them, it is also inefficient for the court to proceed with prosecuting minor nuisances under the stalking legislation. Many of these cases would not lead to any conviction due to the lack of the requisite intent necessary to prove the offence. In 1998, two example cases were given by the model criminal code committee where stalking legislation was used inappropriately (Joseph, 2001). In the first case a fourteen year old girl had stalked her teacher, by following him around school and singing a mocking song about the teacher. In the later case Yugoslavian parents had stalked their teenage daughters because they had moved away from home in violation of family traditions. These stalking incidents are more commonly known as conformist who is the stalking falls within the acceptable range of social behaviour rather than criminal stalking. incomplete of these cases led to convictions. In circumstances such as these, applicants are more likely to succeed in obtaining apprehended violence orders since they would only be required to prove on the balance of probabilities, that they are in fear of the other person and that these fears could culminate into an act of personal v iolence or harassing conduct (Sandra, 2007).With advances in applied science people see new and scarey ways criminals commit crimes. With the introduction of cell phones and scanners years ago, criminals could listen to police radio traffic and see where and how we police were responding. No need for compute outs, technology became the look out. Now in the computer age people see crimes from identity theft and hacking into computers to steal personal and corporate hugger-mugger information to cyber stalking and sexual predating to cell phone cloning. Criminals have a whole new playground and the playground as technology advances (Lorraine, 2008). But technology is not just for criminals. Law enforcement agencies are using technology to make police work more effective and efficient. Also police and communities are also using technology to make their communities safer.Cyber stalking is set forth as the procedure or offense of deliberately and constantly pestilential another pers on in situation that would cause a sensible person to panic harm or death because of articulated or obscured fears is a comparatively latest trouble. Annoying others over the Internet is a little that usually happens, but the word constantly placed in front of that report can make a huge distinction. If someone is causing a nescience that interferes with ones professional or individual life it is measured stalking. Catching the criminals of computer is the tough part. There are data processor Crime Stopper groups, hackers turned excellent, whose only intention and job is to tag down and catch criminals of computer (Keith, 2002).Activity of caterpillar treading computer is a hard thing to do, particularly over the Internet. There is no track left for the criminal to be followed through. Generally the only things crime-stoppers have to go on are the IP addresses and telecommunication lines to trace to find the source of the signal, but the performer is generally long gone through t he time authorities arrive. Anticipation is a vital part in defending the computers of these days. Through secure servers, which are particular c