IntroductionThe essay question I chose for this assignment is: “Is stalking a violent crime?” I will define stalking, harassment and violence and indicate different types of stalking. I will explain the motivation behind stalking and describe the environment that would indicate stalking as a violent crime. I will critically analyze the predator and the victim and indicate what environment or personality might cause the violence to occur. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To define stalking you need to consider many variations. What is the difference between harassment and stalking? Under Australian law, for stalking to be a crime, the predator must have the intent to cause physical harm or cause fear to the victim. (Howitt, 2009) Stalking is a form of predatory behavior characterized by repeated patterns of harassment towards an individual that may frighten the victim or worse, while harassment means annoying or frightening the person repeatedly but they will eventually desist. (Howitt, 2009) In 1986 the interpretation of the term “violence” suggested interpersonal acts of force usually involving the infliction of physical injury, which suggests that violence cannot be independently recognized without the concept of force. Violence is defined as “the exercise of physical force so as to inflict injury or be caused regardless of its affinity with the notion of force”. (Bufacchi, 2005) Violence is a learned behavior. It strengthens their power and self-efficiency. They have an antisocial logic and believe that violence is necessary, justified and acceptable. Offenders usually believe they are the victims. (Howitt, 2009) Stalking usually does not begin as a violent crime, but the behavior escalates. Stalking behavior usually begins with a letter or phone call. (Cox & Speziale, 2009) Stalking and harassment behaviors can be some of the following examples; harassing phone calls, following the victim, verbal threats, violence, gifts, face-to-face contact, property damage, physical assault, visiting victims at home or work and sending multiple letters. (Howitt, 2009) Other behaviors include emails, spreading rumors, SMS messages, using GPS or an IP address to obtain information about the victim's location. (Walter, 2009)In 1990 laws to criminalize stalking were first passed in California. The victims were mainly aged between 10 and 29. There was also a strong correlation between rejected stalkers such as ex-partners and they were more likely to cause physical attacks than other types of stalking. Three-quarters of femicide victims were persecuted before being killed. (Johnson & Kercher, 2009) Stalking can generally occur for approximately 1.8 years. (Howitt, 2009) Stalking should be weighed against the victim's situation and the predators' intentions, such as describing a patient's pain in a hospital. Pain is defined as what the person feels and says it is. Pain is subjective. Victims who blame themselves for being stalked generally report higher symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depending on the severity of the stalking, management strategies can be used to address these problems (Kraajj, Arensman, Garrefski, Kremes, 2007). When do certain behaviors turn into stalking? Some of the behaviors mentioned were quite reasonable in a context such as sending a gift. It is when gifts are inappropriate, unwanted or too many gifts have been sent causing distress to the victim(Thompson & Dennison, 2008). There is a guideline used called the Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) Guidelines. Sam is a guideline for assessing the degree of concern for victims, stalking in breach of supervision orders and targeting of victims with minimal external resources. Psychopathic traits could be valuable when assessing and managing a stalking risk. (Storey, Hart, Meloy, & Reavis, 2009) There is evidence that fear and other emotions experienced by the victim may be gender dependent. Therefore, when defining stalking, gender should be considered. (Thompson & Dennison, 2008) When considering risk management for the victim, stalking should include these three areas: Will the stalking continue or, if it has stopped, will it happen again? The victim will suffer significant social and/or psychological harm, which may include suicidal behavior or ideation. Stalking could escalate into sexual violence and/or physical abuse. (Dennison & Thomson, 2005) According to Knowll and Resnick in 2007, there are five types of stalkers. Incompetent stalkers know that the person is not interested in them, however they believe that with their behavior their feelings will change. The stalker in this category is usually intellectually limited and has poorly developed social skills. They feel entitled to a partner. (Knowll & Resnick, 2007) Rejected stalkers are the most dangerous and common type of stalker. Former intimate partners fall into this group. They may have a criminal record for assault. (Knowll & Resnick, 2007) This type of stalking usually results in the breakdown of a relationship (Mackenzie, Mullin, Ogloff, Evans & James, 2009). Stalking has a unique impact on the victim in terms of perceived safety and mental health. Protection orders are not adequate enough for women who experience rejected stalking. (Shannon, Cole & Walker, 2006) Heather Melton in 2007 found that there was a high correlation between domestic violence and stalking. When does one begin and the other stop? (Melton, 2007) This type of stalker will be explored further later in the essay as violence tends to be described as a prominent behavior in this typology. Most intimacy-seeking stalkers generally have erotomaniac delusions and are significantly infatuated with the victim. Usually the victim does not know them. Celebrity stalking is an example of this category. (Knowll & Resnick, 2007) Erotomania is a delusional disorder when the predator does not personally know the victim or has had little contact with her previously. They tend to be obsessive, excessive, unwanted, or have delusional love (Howitt, 2009). The aim of resentful stalkers is to distress and frighten the victim. Many resentful stalkers have pre-existing mental conditions. (Knowll & Resnick, 2007) Predatory stalkers are those who will take their time in the actual process to carefully prepare the environment ensuring greater success in the event of sexual assault. They discover the vulnerability of the victim and rarely does the victim have little knowledge of the sexual violence that is about to occur (Knowell & Resnick, 2007). However, the victim has the feeling that someone is watching him, and the predator is excited by the victim's fear. (Mackenzie, Mullin, Ogloff, Ewan & James, 2008). There has often been a prior sexual offense and/or allegations of paraphilia. (Knowll & Resnick, 2007) A relatively new type of stalking and not included in the typologies of stalking is Cyber Stalking. This happens when the victim receives unwanted emails, spam messages, posts unpleasant material towards them, or threatens the victim in some other way through the computer (Howitt, 2009). Cyber stalking can also include spyware programs for.
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