Stalking is a devastating crime that irrevocably changes the lives of its victims. Victims report that they never again feel the same level of security and trust. Exacerbating the effects of stalking is the tendency for courts, law enforcement, social workers, and even victims to minimize and dismiss this problem. Most do not recognize the serious nature of stalking, which can place victims in physical and psychological danger. Stalking is not a new phenomenon despite the recent media attention given to the subject. It is also not a rare problem, as many believe. The organization, Survivors of Stalking, in Tampa, Florida, reports receiving approximately 30,000 telephone calls per month from stalking victims from across the country (Orion, 1997). The Annual Report to Congress on Domestic Violence, Stalking and Antistalking Legislation, under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 stated that there were 20,000 to 200,000 victims of stalking. Research shows that approximately 8 percent of all women and 3 percent of all men will be victims of stalking at some time in their lives. An additional 13 percent of victims are former employers of their stalkers (Antistalking Legislation, 1992; Rowley, 1997). Using census data, researchers estimate that approximately 10 million Americans have been stalked at least once during their lives (Rowley, 1997). There are approximately 200,000 admitted stalkers in the United States today, and most suffer from some form of mental illness (Antistalking Legislation, 1992).
