The contemporary nature of anti-stalking law means that data on stalking behavior is still limited. What have we learned about stalkers since the pioneering NVAW survey?

What Is Stalking?

Stalking is a crime of obsession, often associated with different types of psychopathology, including psychosis and severe personality disorders. Depending on the type of stalker, behavior may range from aggressive threats and actions, to persistent phone calls, letters or approaches. This pathological harassment may go on for years, causing the victim to exist in a constant state of stress and fear. The violent aspects of stalking behavior often escalate over time, and in extreme cases, can end in murder (Douglas 1998).

The First Survey of Stalking Behavior

Stalking laws are a relatively recent invention, and the contemporary nature of stalking legislation means that data on the crime of stalking is still limited, having been formally collected for less than 20 years.

The National Violence Against Women (NVAW) Survey, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control, was the first national study of stalking. Data was collected via telephone surveys of 8,000 U.S. women and 8,000 U.S. men, during which respondents were asked detailed questions about their experiences with violence, including stalking.

Published in 1998, the survey concluded that, every year, one million women and over 370 thousand men were victims of stalking. This lifetime risk of becoming a victim of stalking was determined to be 8% for women and 2% for men.

Prior to this research, information on the prevalence of stalking was based on estimates volunteered by mental health professionals who had been involved in the treatment of known stalkers. Their collective guesstimate of 200,000 women being stalked annually had been a serious underestimate.

The NVAW survey also found that restraining orders against stalkers were violated 40 percent of the time, and in some cases, the victim perceived that implementation of the order intensified the stalking behavior.

Stalking and Control

Severe parental discipline, anxious attachment, and the need to control one's partner constitute a cluster of predictive indicators for stalking and psychological abuse. Research published in a 2003 issue of the Journal of Family Violence found that approximately 25% of stalking victims were financially dependent on their stalker. Sixty-eight percent of the stalkers controlled the victims socially, and virtually all stalkers attempted to psychologically control their victim. Other researchers found that stalking was a significant risk factor in the homicide of women who had been in abusive relationships with the offender (Dye & David 2003).

Criminal Justice and Stalking

In 2003, a study published Jordan et al.,in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, presented statistics on the prosecution of stalkers. Of the cases that were originally charged as misdemeanor stalking, 29% were convicted, and 33% of those originally charged with felony stalking were convicted. Nearly a third of felony stalking charges were eventually reduced to a lesser offense, most often misdemeanor stalking. In one state, a criminal justice disposition of stalking cases indicated that more than half of all stalking charges were eventually dismissed.

Stalking and Recidivism

A study of stalking recidivism, by Rosenfeld (2003) appeared in the journal Law and Human Behavior, announcing that nearly half of stalkers re-offended, 80% during the first year. Recidivism was more likely in offenders who had a personality disorder and/or a history of substance abuse.

Stalking Help

Too often victims do not fully appreciate the danger of being stalked, and this can be a fatal mistake. Become familiar with federal and state stalking laws, and investigate the many resources available to assist and protect stalking victims, such as the National Center for Victims of Crime. All stalking is a crime and all stalkers should be considered dangerous.

Additional Stalking Sources

Brewster, Mary. (2003). "Power and Control Dynamics in Prestalking and Stalking Situations." Journal of Family Violence 18, 4.

Douglas, J, and Olshaker, M. Obsession. Published by Scribner (1998)

Dye, M.L. and K.E. Davis. (2003). "Stalking and Psychological Abuse: Common Factors and Relationship-Specific Characteristics." Violence and Victims 18, 2.

Jordan et al. (2003). "Stalking: An Examination of the Criminal Justice Response." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 18, 2.

Rosenfeld, B. (2003). "Recidivism in Stalking and Obsessional Harassment." Law and Human Behavior 27, 3.

Tjaden, Patricia and Nancy Thoennes. (1998). Stalking in America: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.