This study suggests law enforcement responds poorly to claims of stalking, and implies how we might advise clients to report such behavior. The lack of convictions and police response may support an aspect of the Integrative Client-Centered Model’s (ICCM) counseling approach which focuses on educating clients about self-help employing an enhanced relational approach to avoid or minimize rejections that can drive stalking behavior. Autonomy is a core need, and part of the ICCM’s Hierarchy of Needs in Conflict model.
Patrick Q. Brady and Matt R. Nobles
The Dark Figure of Stalking: Examining Law Enforcement Response
J Interpers Violence 0886260515596979, first published on July 30, 2015 doi:10.1177/0886260515596979
Abstract
Despite the growing body of scholarship on stalking victimization, the criminal justice system’s response has been substantially understudied. Although scholars consider stalking to be a significant issue, its prevalence is not echoed in official data representing stalking arrests and convictions. The disparity between prevalence estimates and official data reinforces a “dark figure” of stalking that warrants further examination. To develop a better understanding of underreporting and/or underrecording, this exploratory study used official data from the Houston Police Department to examine police response to stalking. Findings indicated that, compared with other interpersonal crimes, incidents of stalking are dramatically underrecorded. Over an 8-year period, there were a total of 3,756 stalking calls for service, 66 stalking-related incident reports, and only 12 arrests for stalking. However, not one of the stalking calls for service generated a stalking-related incident report nor an arrest for stalking. Of the stalking calls for service that did generate an incident report, the large majority of the reports were classified as either harassment or a violation of a protective order. Furthermore, incident reports and arrests for stalking generally emerged from calls for service for harassment or terroristic threats. Implications for research and policy are discussed.