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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:44 am
Time: 12:44 am
Results for stalking (texas)
1 results foundAuthor: Kercher, Glen Title: Stalking in Texas Summary: Stalking is not new behavior, but it has only been in the last sixteen years that every state and the federal government have passed laws making it a crime. This crime involves deliberate, repeated, unwanted, and fear-inducing acts on the part of one person toward another, usually in a relationship context of some kind. Stalking is not an easy crime to investigate. To those unfamiliar with the dynamics of this behavior, many stalking incidents may be seen merely as disagreements between intimates. Even before legislation was enacted to address this behavior, public awareness of this crime had increased as a result of news accounts of persons who had been so victimized. It has been estimated that one in 12 women and one in 45 men in this country will be stalked at least once in their lifetimes. This report presents information on stalking victimization among Texas residents. The data for this report came from a telephone survey of a random sample of Texas residents. Over 700 adult residents were queried about their experiences with stalking. They were asked if in the last 24 months they had experienced any of 19 stalking behaviors. Surprisingly, 18.26% of the respondents (n=128) reported being stalked during that time period. The significant findings from this study are summarized. • 128 victims reported 453 stalking incidents in the past 24 months. • The 2 most frequently reported stalking acts were receiving repeated phone calls, and having things stolen from the victim. • Stalking victims are most likely to be under 35 years of age. • Asian residents showed the highest rate of victimization, followed by Hispanics. • Stalking victims are most likely to be single/never married, but separated/divorced residents were the second most likely to be stalked. • Men (16%) and women (19.9%) were about equally likely to be stalked, which is contrary to what has been reported elsewhere. • The average number of stalking incidents per victim was 3.5. This number did not differ by gender of victim. • Over 75% of stalking victims reported at least one adverse emotional effect. The most common effect was anger, followed by loss of sleep. • Stalking victims are likely to be acquainted with the offender (57%). The most commonly reported relationship with the offender was a male acquaintance (26%). This was true for both men and women. • Stalking is often preceded by violence between the victim and offender. Of those who previously knew the offender, 61.6% reported prior violence by the offender. This suggests that stalkers are often motivated by possessiveness and control issues. • Among the victims who had some idea why they were targeted (75%), the most common reason given was jealousy on the part of the offender. • Only 43% of victims reported the incidents to the police. Based on these findings, recommendations were made about the need for continuing educational efforts for the public and for people who work with victims of this crime. The importance of victim input in investigating this crime was underscored, as were suggestions for thoroughly investigating reports of stalking and the provision of support services for victims. Details: Huntsville, TX: Crime Victim's Institute, Criminal Justice Center, Sam Houston State University, 2007. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2011 at: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Stalking_Report.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.crimevictimsinstitute.org/documents/Stalking_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 121608 Keywords: HarassmentStalking (Texas)VictimizationVictims of Crimes |