Monday, January 31, 2005

Anti-Stalking Laws

According to the anti-stalking laws, a person can be charged with stalking for willfully and repeatedly contacting another individual, without permission. Under these laws, assailants could be charged with stalking for repeatedly:

* Following or appearing within the sight of another. A restraining order is especially helpful with this one. For instance, if someone is legally parked in front of your house, law enforcement might be able to ask them to move on or in extreme cases get them for loitering and prowling. BUT, with a restraining order in place - BOOM - now it's a violation of the court order - making arrest much more probable and penalties much stiffer.
* Approaching or confronting another individual in a public or private place.
* Appearing at the work place or residence of another. Again, a restraining order will help with this one. Your boss or anyone in a position of authority can authorize law enforcement to issue a trespass warning against your stalker - meaning that if they show up again, they will be arrested for trespassing - whether you are there or not.
* Entering or remaining on an individual's property.
* Contacting by telephone.
* Sending mail or electronic mail.
* Getting other people to harass on their behalf. This is where your log or journal will come in handy. Make sure you're documenting who is harassing, when, how, etc.
* Leaving notes on cars, in mailboxes. By the way, did you know that it can be a violation of Federal law for a private individual to put items in a mailbox? If a stalker is making use or your mailbox or you supect that your mail is being opened or stolen, contact the Office of the Postmaster General near you.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

False Victimisation Syndrome: This group accuses another person, either real or imaginary of stalking (Hickey, 1997) to foster sympathy and support from those around them. The majority of the perpetrators seem to be female (adapted from Zona and others; Mullen and Pathe, 1994; Mullen, 1997).

January 31, 2005 9:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are you aware that if a sex offender admits to anything, it will only admit to about 1/3 of what they actually did?

Also are you aware that most offenders use denial and projection as defense mechanisms? Most take the stance of "Blame the victim."

Times are changing and the mentality of protecting offenders is over. Survivors of sexual violence are taking a stand and will tell their stories publicly.

The shame of rape no longer goes on the individual who was victimized. It goes where it belongs -- on the rapist!

January 31, 2005 10:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

False Victimization Syndrome:

This occurs when an individual attempts to convince others that he or she is being stalked through the invention of claims made to re-establish a failing relationship and/or gain attention (Zona, Palarea, and Lane, 1998).

Individuals who exhibit these characteristics may also fit the criteria for histrionic personality disorder (DSM-IV, 1994): demanding to be the center of attention, shallow expression of emotions which shift rapidly, and speaks in a manner that is overly impressionistic and lacking in detail.

January 31, 2005 10:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Individuals who exhibit these characteristics may also fit the criteria for histrionic personality disorder (DSM-IV, 1994): demanding to be the center of attention, shallow expression of emotions which shift rapidly, and speaks in a manner that is overly impressionistic and lacking in detail."

It's the return of Yori Yanover!

January 31, 2005 4:54 PM  

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