Notes on Applied Stalking and Victims' Perceptions and Reporting to Police

Introduction to Applied Stalking

• Definition of stalking: A pattern of targeted, unwanted conduct causing substantial emotional distress or fear for personal safety.
• Prevalence: 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men stalked at some point in their lives, often before age 25.
• Research focus: Examining how victims of stalking, particularly from digitally influenced contexts, interpret their experiences and decide to report to authorities.

Technology-facilitated Stalking (TF)

• Technology used in stalking: Offenders using technologies such as smartphones, social media, and GPS to stalk or harass victims.
• Types of tactics: Includes traditional physical pursuits (e.g., following) and emerging cyber tactics (e.g., social media harassment, doxing).
• Unique concerns: Increased difficulty for victims in identifying experiences of stalking especially when technology is used, as normalization of certain behaviors may diminish seriousness.

Acknowledgement of Stalking Victimization

• Importance of acknowledgment: Victims recognizing their experience as stalking is crucial for seeking help and reporting.
• Factors influencing acknowledgment: Tactics used can alter perceptions; frequent physical pursuit increases likelihood of acknowledgment while some tech-based tactics may decrease that likelihood (e.g., harassment through social platforms).
• Classic stalking paradigms often misinform how victims categorize their experiences, leading to underreporting.

Reporting to the Police

• Low reporting rates: Many stalking victims opt not to report to police. Study shows 69.5% did not report even when they recognized their experience as stalking.
• Influences on reporting: Victims more likely to report when interaction is perceived as more serious, often due to the nature of conduct or prior relationship with the offender. Victims' feelings of fear notably influence reporting decisions.
• Co-occurring crimes: Incidents of damaging property or making threats typically lead to increased likelihood of police involvement.

Characteristics of Stalking Cases

• Victim characteristics: Majority of identified victims were college students, predominantly female and from diverse backgrounds.
• Relationship with offender: Victims often know their stalkers, disproving the stereotype of stalkers as strangers. Intimate partners pose greater risks for serious harm.

Findings and Implications

• The study highlights that:
  • Victims require education on what constitutes stalking, particularly with regard to digital mediums.
  • Police training should emphasize the investigative approach to stalking cases, focusing on patterns of behavior rather than isolated incidents.
  • Increased understanding of the emotional and psychological effects of stalking can enhance responses from law enforcement and better assist victims.

Recommendations for Future Research

• Continued exploration of how technology shapes perceptions and behaviors related to stalking.
• Importance of creating accessible training materials for law enforcement on recognizing and responding to technology-facilitated stalking.
• Necessity for longitudinal studies to assess the dynamics of stalking acknowledgment versus reporting over time to understand victim decision-making processes better.