Over the past three decades, the
criminal justice field has witnessed an
astounding proliferation of statutory
enhancements benefiting people who
are most directly and intimately affected
by crime.To date, all states have
passed some form of legislation to benefit
victims. In addition, 32 states have
recognized the supreme importance of
fundamental and express rights for
crime victims by raising those protections
to the constitutional level.
Of course, the nature, scope, and enforcement
of victims' rights vary from
state to state, and it is a complex and
often frustrating matter for victims to
determine what those rights mean for
them.To help victims, victim advocates,
and victim service providers understand
the relevance of the myriad laws
and constitutional guarantees, the
Office for Victims of Crime awarded
funding to the National Center for
Victims of Crime to produce a series
of bulletins addressing salient legal issues
affecting crime victims.
Strengthening Antistalking Statutes, the
first in the series, provides an overview
of state legislation and current
issues related to stalking. Although
stalking is a crime in all 50 states,
significant variation exists among
statutes as to the type of behavior
prohibited, the intent of the stalker,
whether a threat is required, and the
reaction of the victim to the stalking.This bulletin and the others
in the Legal Series highlight various circumstances in
which relevant laws are applied, emphasizing their successful
implementation.
We hope that victims, victim advocates, victim service providers,
criminal justice professionals, and policymakers in states across
the Nation will find the bulletins in this series helpful in making
sense of the criminal justice process and in identifying areas in
which rights could be strengthened or more clearly defined.We
encourage you to use these bulletins not simply as informational
resources but as tools to support victims in their involvement
with the criminal justice system.
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Strengthening Antistalking Statutes
Introduction
Status of the Law
Current Issues
Conclusion
Notes
PDF File
Back to Publications
About This Series
OVC Legal Series bulletins are designed to inform victim advocates
and victim service providers about various legal issues relating
to crime victims. The series is not meant to provide an
exhaustive legal analysis of the topics presented; rather, it provides
a digest of issues for professionals who work with victims of
crime.
Each bulletin summarizes
- Existing legislation.
- Important court decisions in cases where courts have
addressed the issues.
- Current trends or "hot topics" relating to each legal
issue.
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The OVC Legal Series bulletins were created by the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) under grant number 1999VFGXK007 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.The opinions, findings, conclusions,
and recommendations expressed in this bulletin are those of
the author/NCVC and do not necessarily represent the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of
Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance,
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
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