U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Violence Against Women Grants Office Violence Against Women Grants Office OPJ Stalking and Domestic Violence The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Washington, D.C. 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Noël Brennan Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathy Schwartz Administrator Violence Against Women Grants Office Office of Justice Programs World Wide Web Homepage: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov Violence Against Women Grants Office World Wide Web Homepage: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawgo NCJ 172204 For additional copies of this report, please contact: National Criminal Justice Reference Service Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 (800) 851–3420 email: [email protected] Stalking and Domestic Violence The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act Violence Against Women Grants Office A publication of the Violence Against Women Grants Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice July 1998 Stalking and Domestic Violence: The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ............................................................................................................................ i FOREWORD ..................................................................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 Background .................................................................................................................. 1 Scope of the Report ...................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: STALKING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN AMERICA.......................... 5 What Is Stalking? ......................................................................................................... 5 How Much Stalking Is There? ..................................................................................... 6 Comparison with Previous Stalking Estimates ............................................................ 7 Stalking Risk for Racial and Ethnic Minorities ........................................................... 8 Who Stalks Whom?.................................................................................................... 10 How Do Stalkers Harass and Terrorize? .................................................................... 12 How Often Do Stalkers Threaten Overtly? ................................................................ 12 Why Stalkers Stalk Their Victims .............................................................................. 14 Relationship between Stalking and Other Forms of Violence ................................... 14 How Often Is Stalking Reported to Police? ............................................................... 15 How Often Are Stalkers Criminally Prosecuted?....................................................... 18 Obtaining Protective or Restraining Orders Against Stalkers .................................... 18 What Are the Psychological and Social Consequences of Stalking? ......................... 18 When and Why Does Stalking Stop? ......................................................................... 21 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 2: FEDERAL AND STATE ANTISTALKING LEGISLATION....................... 23 Federal Antistalking Legislation ................................................................................ 23 State-by-State Analysis of Antistalking Statutes........................................................ 24 Comparison of State Stalking Statutes to the NIJ Model Antistalking Law .............. 26 Civil Law Injunctions and Penalties .......................................................................... 34 New Challenges to State Antistalking Laws .............................................................. 35 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 36 Stalking and Domestic Violence: The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act Chapter 3: SENTENCING AND SUPERVISION OF STALKERS ............................... 37 Scope of the Chapter .................................................................................................. 37 Uses and Limitations.................................................................................................. 38 Sentencing Goals in Stalking Cases ........................................................................... 38 State Stalking Codes and Sentencing ......................................................................... 39 Issues Affecting Sentencing and Supervision of Stalkers .......................................... 40 Sentencing in Cases Involving Stalking ..................................................................... 45 Supervision in Stalking Cases .................................................................................... 46 Selected Sentencing and Supervision Strategies ........................................................ 47 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 52 Chapter 4: THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE’S RESPONSE TO STALKING AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ................................................................... 55 Research Investments ................................................................................................. 55 Support for State and Local Efforts ........................................................................... 56 National Stalker and Domestic Violence Reduction Program (Stalker Reduction) .................................................................................................... 57 Indirect Support ......................................................................................................... 58 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 58 Chapter 5: LOOKING AHEAD ...................................................................................... 59 NOTES ............................................................................................................................. 61 Appendix A: ANTISTALKING LEGISLATION UPDATE FOR STATES AND SELECTED TERRITORIES, MARCH 1998 ........................................ A-1 Appendix B: STATE STALKING LAWS: CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS BY LEVEL OF OFFENSE ....................................... B-1 Appendix C: STATE STALKING LAWS: HARASSMENT AND THREATS BY LEVEL OF OFFENSE .................................... C-1 Appendix D: SUMMARY OF STATE STALKING AND RELATED LAWS ............. D-1 Appendix E: STALKING RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET .................................. E-1 Appendix F: SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ...............................................................F-1 Appendix G: LIST OF CONTACTS FOR SENTENCING AND SUPERVISION OF STALKERS ................................................ G-1 Stalking and Domestic Violence: The Third Annual Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act PREFACE The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322), represents a giant step forward in our country’s response to violence against women, including domestic violence and stalking. This legislation has transformed the criminal justice system’s efforts to address this serious problem, making it a systemwide institutional priority. In unprecedented numbers, police officers, prosecutors, victim advocates, and members of the judiciary are collaborating to leverage the coercive power of the criminal justice system to ensure victim safety and to hold offenders accountable. To help support their efforts, we at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) are providing the tools and resources to develop and implement service programs, and to fund basic research to expand our knowledge and understanding of stalking and domestic violence. This annual report to Congress is part of our ongoing commitment to share information about strategies that show promise in the field and research that enhances our understanding of stalking and domestic violence. It is produced in response to Subtitle F of the Violence Against Women Act, which directs the Attorney General to submit an annual report on these issues. In Fiscal Year 1998, Congress also directed the Attorney General to include information in the report concerning existing or proposed State laws and penalties for stalking crimes against children. While our knowledge of domestic violence and stalking has grown exponentially, there is much we still do not know. Accordingly, OJP has committed significant resources through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to conduct research on effective strategies to stop violence against women, including domestic violence and stalking. NIJ is one of the cosponsors of the National Violence Against Women Survey discussed in this report. This survey provides some evidence that State antistalking laws are making a difference. Since enactment