Matt Markon, Esq. 202-467-8727

Matt Markon, Esq.
202-467-8727
Stalking and Disability
 What is stalking?
 Defined by statute
 Common theme present in all statutes
 Common perceptions
 What is disability?
 How do we define it?
 What statutes do we use?
What is a Disability?
Any physical, sensory, or mental
impairment
or any combination of these
What is problematic with this
definition of disability?
It doesn’t really help us.
“Disabled persons” is so broad to be
meaningless.
Different “disabilities” bring different
challenges to the practitioner
“What challenges does this case
present?”
What is Stalking?
 Stalking generally refers to
repeated harassing or threatening
behavior putting another person in
fear.
Stalking
 Can seemingly non-threatening behavior be
stalking?
 Case example from Tom Kirkman
 Context is EVERYTHING!!!
Prevalence of Stalking
 1 out of every 12 U.S. Women (8.2 million)
and 1 out of every 45 U.S. men (2 million) has
been stalked at some point.
 Estimated 1.4 million people are stalked
annually.
 Campus Study: 13.1% of college women were
stalked during a one semester survey.
Relationship to Stalker:
77% of female victims are stalked
by someone they know.
23% of female stalking victims are
stalked by strangers.
– NVAW Study (1998)
Stalking, DV & Sexual Assault
 81% of stalking victims who were stalked by
an intimate partner reported that they had
also been physically assaulted by that
partner.
 31% were also sexually assaulted by that
partner
>>>NVAW Study (1998)
Prevalence– Femicide Study
 76% of femicide cases involved at least
one episode of stalking within 12
months prior to the murder.
 85% of attempted femicide cases
involved at least one episode of stalking
within 12 months prior to the
attempted murder.
Physical Abuse and Stalking
 67% of femicide victims had been
physically abused by their intimate
partner in the 12 months before the
murder.
 89% of femicide victims who had been
physically abused had also been stalked
in the 12 months before the murder.
Reports to Law Enforcement
 54% of femicide victims reported
stalking to police before they were
killed by their stalkers.
 46% of attempted femicide victims
reported stalking to police before the
attempted murder.
Victim’s Reactions
Sociologist Jennifer Dunn, PhD
researched victim’s responses to
stalking by former intimate partners.
Courting Disaster: Intimate Stalking,
Culture, and Criminal Justice, Jennifer L.
Dunn
Four Types of Victim Reactions
 Active resistance
 Threats to call 911; Physical struggle; Recording stalker’s
behavior
 Help seeking
 Calling police; Escorted to car; Screaming for help
 Coping to reduce danger
 Screening calls or changing number; Moving; Staying with family
or friends; Hiding
 Coping by complying with stalker’s demands
 Visiting stalker; Going places with stalker; Continuing sexual
relations with stalker; Requesting case be dropped
Are the stalking statistics the same
for victims with disabilities?
Women with disabilities experience
the highest rate of personal violence –
violence at the hands of spouses, partners,
boyfriends, family members, caregivers, and
strangers – of any group in our society today.
Abramson, W., Emanuel, E., Gaylord, V., & Hayden, M. (Eds.). (2000). Impact: Feature
Issue on Violence Against
Women with Developmental or Other Disabilities, 13 (3). Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration.
 Each year, nearly 10 thousand women and children
become permanently hearing impaired due to being
repeatedly struck on or near the ear.
 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders;
National Institutes of Health, National Strategic Research Plan (1989)
 A study of 482 children with documented maltreatment
evaluated at the Center for Abused Handicapped
Children at Boys Town Research Hospital in Omaha, NE,
reveals that more than half (53.4%) of the deaf
children report being sexually abused.
 Sullivan, P.M., Vernon, M., & Scanlan, J., 1987. "Sexual abuse of deaf
youth." American Annals of the Deaf, 132, 256-62.
“Studies suggest that mentally disabled
people are at least four times more likely
than other Americans to be targets of sexual
assault and other violence. Some studies
indicate that more than 75 percent of
mentally disabled women are sexually abused.”
Justice Dept. background on crime against the disabled:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/factshts/disable.htm
Published by the Institute on Community Integration (UAP) · Research
and Training Center on Community Living Volume 13 · Number 3 · Fall
2000
 Persons with developmental disabilities have a
high risk of being sexually abused. One
researcher estimates that 90% of people
with developmental disabilities will be sexually
victimized in their lifetime, yet only 3% of
the assaults will ever be reported.
 Sobsey, D. & Doe, T. (1991) Patterns of sexual abuse and assault.
Sexuality and Disability, 9 (3), 243-259; Tyiska, 1998) Tyiska, C.
(1998). Working with victims of crime with disabilities (OVC Bulletin).
Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of Justice..
Stalking and Disabilities
Have some things in common
They aren’t being identified
Response to them is inadequate
Are disabilities being
identified?
How many shelters are checking for
TBI, concussions?
Victims are labeled as borderline when they
miss appointments
Are they asking about prior incidents of
unconsiosness?
How many are actually having victims
assessed for trauma related mental
issues? (not just saying it is ptsd)
Is stalking being identified?
Independent living centers
Are they even looking at stalking?
Do they have protocol in place?
Shelters?
S/A programs?
There are NO profiles of stalkers!
What we can say about stalkers
Many Stalkers have:
 Above average intelligence
 Dependant personalities
 Controlling personalities
 Relationship stalkers tend to have Personality
Disorders
 Often Narcissistic, Antisocial and/or
Borderline
Psychology of Stalking:
Wright, Burgess,
Burgess, Laszlo,
McCrary and Douglas
(1996). A Typology
of Interpersonal
Stalking (Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, Vol.
11 No. 4, Dec 1996)
Categories of Stalkers
Nondomestic Stalker
Organized
Delusional
Domestic Stalker
Nondomestic Stalker
No interpersonal relationship with
victim
May target victim from brief encounter
or simply an observation
Victim may be unable to identify the
stalker when first becoming aware of
the stalking
Organized
 Relationship between
stalker and victim is oneway
 Anonymous communications
 Until the first
communication – Victim is
often unaware
 Unknown identity
 Casual contact – described
to victim - to let the victim
know that stalker is
capable of carrying out
threats
Delusional
 Relationship is based on
stalker’s psychological
fixation
 Fusion (stalker blends his
or her personality into the
victim’s) or
 Erotomania (fantasy of
idealized love or spiritual
union) or
 Narcissistic Linking
Fantasy
 Command Hallucinations or
Religious fantasy
Domestic Stalker
 Former relationship
between stalker and
victim
 Victim aware of stalking
 Prior abuse or conflict with
stalker (Domestic Violence)
 Stalker often seeks to
continue or reestablish a
relationship that victim has
attempted to end
 Motivation evolves into
“If I can’t have her, no
one can.”
 Victim will often
express feeling
“smothered” in prior
relationship
 Murder/suicide
Why do they stalk?
 Rejection (real or imagined)
Threatens stalker’s narcissistic fantasy of
themselves (superior, intelligent, important,
powerful, admired, or that stalker’s relationship
with victim is their destiny)
Stalker’s fantasy of self + rejection (real
or imagined) leads to feelings of shame,
humiliation, and finally to rage
 Stalking increases feelings of Power & Control
(reinforces narcissistic fantasy)
 Obsession and maladaptive coping mechanisms
Stages of stalking
1. Catalysation
2. Development
3. Harassment
4. Intrusion
5. Contact
Catalysation
 Stalker has some connection to victim.
 Intimate relationship
 Delusional relationship
Development
 Stalker develops high level of interest
in victim.
 Stalker desires to be the center of
victim’s life.
 Stalker begins to feel extreme like or
extreme dislike of victim.
Harassment
 Victim becomes aware of the stalker
 Extreme affection for victim
 Telephone harassment
 Obscene calls, hang up calls etc…
 Love notes, flowers, cards, gifts etc…
 Extreme dislike or hatred of victim
 Vandalism
 Telephone harassment
 Threatening calls, silent calls, hang up calls etc…
 Hate mail
Intrusion
Increased confidence of stalker
Stalking feels good
Position of power and control
Feelings of superiority
Thrill of getting away with it
Contact
Physical Proximity
 Following, watching, driving by in car
 Approaching victim in public place
 Direct confrontation in public
Physical contact with victim
Violent act
 Mental abuse (violent threat)
 Physical assault
 Sexual assault
 Murder
What makes Stalking difficult for Law
Enforcement?
 Varying Activity Levels Over Several Years
 Incidents in Multiple Jurisdictions
 Difficult to Identify/ Officer Misconceptions
 Course of Conduct Defines the Crime
 Single acts may only be illegal within overall scheme
 Few Witnesses
 Evidence (none; little; can’t be tied to stalker)
 Law Enforcement Response Can Not
Guarantee Stalking Will Stop
What About Stalking Can Make It
Easy to Investigate?
Same Victim
Same Offender
Same Locations
Stalking Is A Course of Conduct
Ongoing Long-Term Crime
Stalking Investigation
First Responder
 Any time there is a report of harassing
behavior – look for stalking!
 Any time there is more than one incident of
harassment – treat the case as stalking!
 Determine if there is any prior police
involvement
 Remember: victims often put up with stalking
for a long time before reporting it
Follow Up Investigation
1. Threat Assessment
2. Establishing Corroboration
What does threat assessment tell
us?
Which individuals show signs that
demonstrate they pose a risk at a
particular point in time.
All other individuals are of “unknown
risk”.
We can never use risk assessment to
determine that a person is Not a risk!
Information About Victim
How well does suspect know victim?
Is victim vulnerable to attack?
Target Hardening: ways to make the victim
less vulnerable to an attack
Is victim in fear?
Why?
Victim’s family, friends, coworkers?
Is victim naive about the danger?
Information About Stalker
Thorough documentation of any:
Prior threats
Pursuit or following
Emotional outbursts or rage
Mental illness
Substance abuse
Animal abuse
Possession or fascination with weapons
Violations of Protective Orders
Document and compile all of stalker’s
criminal history and contacts with law
enforcement
Use a threat assessment worksheet or
other device so that you do not forget
anything
The victim is likely going to be your
best source of information
Suspect’s behavior
Is there a pattern of increasingly more
personal communications?
 Vague messages followed by more personal
communications
Have there been any changes (increase
or decrease) in the frequency of the
stalker’s activities or communications?
Is there any evidence that the stalker
is planning something?
Does the stalker possess any
instructional books or other materials
about harming others? (Bomb making
etc…)
Develop a time line of the stalking
behaviors towards the victim.
Have there been “rehearsals” of
the act that is being threatened?
Can be verbal “picture painting”
“Let me tell you what I'm going to do . . .”
Partial re-enactments
Showing someone the weapon you intend to
use or the place where you’re going to kill or
bury them.
Symbolic violence
Cutting the head off a toy doll belonging to or
representing the victim.
Willingness to “leave evidence” or “not
caring who knows” may indicate a more
serious intention to follow through.
Is the threat detailed and
specific?
 Threats can be evaluated in a similar manner to
the way we examine potential suicides
Generally, the more thought that’s gone into
the plan (evidenced by the amount and
specificity of the detail), the more likely it
is to be acted on
 Examples:
 “I’m going to kill you”
 “Tonight, I’m going to stop by your work while you are alone. I am
going to enter through the side door which is unlocked until nine
o’clock when the maintenance people leave. Then I am going to shoot
you twice in the head and twice in the chest and leave through the
back door to the mail room which opens into the alley where I am
going to park my car”
High Risk Factors
Offender’s Past Behavior
Sexual Intimacy with Victim
Substance Abuse
Symbolic Violence
No Mental Illness
Other Red Flags
Threats to kill
victim
Physical access to
victim
Access to
weapons
Suicidal threats
or thoughts
Violation of
History of
Protective Orders
stalking
Interview of Stalker
“Tell us how your actions are being misunderstood.”
 Stalker’s thinking and behavior toward victim
(Threat Assessment)
Video tape interview
 Evaluation by mental health expert
 Stalkers are very intelligent
Stalker will likely attempt to rationalize, deny or
“outsmart” the interviewer
 Caution: Police contact can increase stalker’s
interest in victim or escalate threat
Search Warrants
Stalker’s residence and vehicle
 Photos of victim
 Photos, drawings, or sketches of victim’s home, work,
or school
 Writings, logs, diaries describing thoughts, actions or
fantasies
 Video or cassette tapes
 Books relating to stalking or violence
 Any devices or objects that could be used to stalk
(cameras, binoculars, GPS, night vision)
 Anything that belongs to or relates to the victim
Search Warrant
Computers!
Cookies
Bookmarks
Other Evidence
Seize anything that corroborates the
stalking including:
 Phone messages
 Letters, notes etc.. from stalker
 Objects sent from stalker
Photo any damaged property graffiti etc…
Examine damaged items for latent prints
For each incident, find corroborating
witnesses!
Phone records
Surveillance
“Stalk the Stalker” programs
Provides corroboration
Suspect can be caught in the act
Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Florida
 DV + Violation of Protective Order = Homicide
 In 1996 purchased night vision cameras, GPS
systems etc…
 In 1996 DV homicides 34%
 Less than 1% in the last year
Ways that Law Enforcement Can
Strengthen Cases:
 Empower victim to
play an active role in
investigation
 Use all techniques
available (trash pulls,
surveillance)
 Document everything!
 Corroborate
everything!
 Investigate stalker’s
past (other victims,
acts, cases,
witnesses)
 Show evidence and
events within the
entire context of the
stalking case!
Advantages of Charging “Stalking”
 To prove a Course of Conduct, the state may
introduce evidence that would otherwise be
inadmissible
 If viewed within the correct context of the law,
stalking statutes can criminalize seemingly
benign behaviors
 When properly investigated and charged
aggressively, stalking cases can save lives!
“It’s going to take getting a bullet
put in my head before people
understand how serious this is.”
Stalking victim one month before she was murdered
(January 2003)
Matt Markon
202-467-8727
[email protected]
www.ncvc.org/src