Stalking Awareness Month Unwanted phone calls, messages, letters Unwanted gifts Unexpected/unwanted presence Stalked While individually these acts may not be criminal, collectively and repetitively these behaviors may cause a victim to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a family member.

West Virginia Stalking Laws Subsection (a) Subsection (b) Any person who repeatedly follows another knowing or having reason to know that the conduct causes the person followed to reasonably fear for his or her safety or suffer significant emotional distress, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be incarcerated in the county or regional jail for not more than six months or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both. Any person who repeatedly harasses or repeatedly makes credible threats against another is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be incarcerated in the county or regional jail for not more than six months or fined not more than one thousand or both. WV Foundation for Rape Information & Services The National Center for Victims of Crime's Stalking Resource Center defines stalking as "a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person fear.“ Stalking vs. Harassment: stalking = following causing reasonable fear. Harassment = repeatedly harass or make credible threats. Every situation is different. Because many of the behaviors may be viewed as innocent or even romantic, stalking and harassment can be difficult to prove, much less prosecute. Give example of 1 bouquet of flowers vs 50 bouquets of flowers.

Stalking Behavior Obsessive Violates privacy Dead pets Threats Attempted harm Monitoring electronic use Vandalism Unwanted gifts Steals belongings (i.e. mail) Frequent phone calls and hang-ups Frequents work place/school/home Sends photographs Messages, Letters, emails Attempts to contact victim via friends & family Jodie foster’s stalker – shoots at ronald reagan – targets others to get her attention (2 years) other celebrity stalkers. Socially inept – or incapable of relationships so they tend to fantasize. Cannot separate fact from fiction. Robert Bardo murders tv actress Shafer Mark David Chapman – shot John Lennon -- beatles fan very religious…Lennon says “Beatles are more popular than Jesus” Chapman waits outside of apartment – asks for autograph – waits for Lennon to arrive home 12 hours later and shoots him. Behavioral Addictions - impulsive and aggressive features. Heightened desire for rewards (gambling = money) Prefrontal cortex (reason, impulsivity) less active Most common = ex-lovers 1993 William Brunner, stalks for 5 months, shoots ex wife. Need to possess and conquer, Ubiquitous Most extreme are those fueled by mental illness Over a million Americans are stalked each year.

Stalker? Stranger Danger Male vs Female Socioeconomic status Occupation Only 10% of victims are stalked by a stranger. 3 out of 4 victims are stalked by someone they know. Women are at greater risk for stalking victimization; women and men are equally likely to experience harassment. David Ajemian, priest, stalked Conan O’Brien, also attended Harvard University.

Who is the Victim? 1 in 4 women 1 in 13 men Ages 18 to 24 experience highest rate of stalking (Baum et al., 2009) My Crazy Obsession Women are more likely to be stalked than men, but women and men are equally likely to experience harassment. State relevance to age group. Play 45 seconds of clip to reveal obsessive behavior

Impact of Stalking on Victims 46% of stalking victims fear not knowing what will happen next. 29% of stalking victims fear the stalking will never stop. 1 in 8 employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization and more than half lose 5 days of work or more. 1 in 7 stalking victims move as a result of their victimization. The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general population, especially if the stalking involves being followed or having property destroyed [Eric Blauuw et al., “The Toll of Stalking,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, no. 1 (2002):50-63.] 11% of victims have been stalked for 5 years or more. Anxiety Depression Financial difficulty Relocation Shame Loss of social life

Is it just stalking? 76% of intimate partner feminicide victims have been stalked by their intimate partner. 67% had been physically abused by their intimate partner. 89% who had been physically assaulted had been stalked in the 12 months before their murder. 54% reported stalking to police before they were killed by their stalkers. [Judith McFarlane et al., “Stalking and Intimate Partner Femicide,” Homicide Studies 3, no. 4 (1999).] The killing of women – depending on cultural context. “killing of females by males because they are females”

Help Report stalking or harassment to the police WV FRIS FRC HOPE RDVIC REACH SAHC SWC WAIC WRC Report stalking or harassment to the police File P.O. application/affidavit Inform friends, family, employer Document all encounters, messages, threats, etc. Even if police cannot take action, report leads to documentation. File for protective order. Give example of Laura Black and stalker Richard Farley. Farley stalked Black for four years before shooting seven coworkers and wounding four others in front of Black.

Safe Planning Be less predictable Trust your instincts Take any threats seriously Use caution when sharing personal information Spend more time in the company of friends and family Be less predictable Trust your instincts Address safety issues with electronic tracking Keep a phone handy at all times Electronic tracking – delete history, do not list home address or current locations,