Stalking Victimization in the United States

During a 12-month period, an estimated 3.4 million persons age 18 or older were victims of stalking. Stalking is defined as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. The Supple- mental Victimization Survey (SVS), which is the basis of this report, was conducted in 2006. The SVS identified seven types of harassing or unwanted behaviors consistent with a course of conduct experienced by stalking victims. 
The survey classified individuals as stalking victims if they responded that they experienced at least one of these behaviors on at least two separate occasions. In addition, the individuals must have feared for their safety or that of a family member as a result of the course of conduct, or have experienced additional threatening behaviors that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

The SVS measured the following stalking behaviors: 

• making unwanted phone calls
• sending unsolicited or unwanted letters or e-mails 
• following or spying on the victim
• showing up at places without a legitimate reason 
• waiting at places for the victim
• leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers
• posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth.

While individually these acts may not be criminal, collec- tively and repetitively these behaviors may cause a victim to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a family member. These behaviors constitute stalking for the purposes of this

study. The federal government, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories have enacted laws making stalking a criminal act, although the elements defining the act of stalking differ across states (see box, Stalking laws).

The SVS also identified victims who experienced the behaviors associated with stalking but neither reported feeling fear as a result of such conduct nor experienced actions that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. This report characterizes such individuals as harassment victims. These instances of harassment might eventually have risen to the definitional requirement for stalking. How- ever, at the time of the interview, the offender’s actions and victim’s responses did not rise to the threshold of stalking victimization as measured by the SVS. 

Source:  http://www.victimsofcrime.org/docs/src/baum-k-catalano-s-rand-m-rose-k-2009.pdf?sfvrsn=0