Are Stalkers Recidivists? Repeated Offending by Convicted Stalkers

Authors: Malsch, Marijke; de Keijser, Jan W.; Debets, Sofia E.C.

Source: Violence and Victims, Volume 26, Number 1, 2011 , pp. 3-15(13)

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

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Abstract:

Stalking is an obsessive behavior. Legal definitions generally characterize stalking as repetitive conduct. It may therefore be expected that recidivism by stalkers is high. We investigated court statistics of stalking cases to establish which proportion relapses in stalking behavior after a conviction and what other types of new crimes they commit. Case files of stalking cases have been investigated to find out whether and which neutralization techniques are used by stalkers to justify harassing behaviors. Stalkers who do recidivate do so quickly after a conviction. They appear to make use of various neutralization techniques. There is a small group of highly obsessive stalkers that seems not to be stopped by any of the measures, sanctions, or interventions that are imposed.

Keywords: STALKING; RECIDIVISM; HARASSMENT; NEUTRALIZATION TECHNIQUES; PSYCHOLOGICAL JUSTIFICATIONS

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.26.1.3

Publication date: 2011-02-01

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Violence and Victims discusses theory, research, policy, and clinical practice in the area of interpersonal violence and victimization across such disciplines as psychology, sociology, criminology, law, medicine, nursing, psychiatry, and social work.
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