Abstract
A large body of criminal justice research has investigated the decisions made by system actors, especially police, judges, and prosecutors. A growing area of research interest has focused on the decisions made by crime victims in response to criminal victimization. Many times, victims decide to seek help from informal sources such as friends or family in overcoming their criminal victimization, a decision that may influence the likelihood of reporting to more formal outlets, including the police. These decisions and the factors that influence a victim’s decision to seek help are not well understood, particularly for victims of stalking. The present study examines the situational and victim characteristics that affect informal help-seeking decisions among stalking victims while also exploring the impact of informal help-seeking on the decision to report the crime to law enforcement (formal help-seeking). Results suggest that dimensions of offense seriousness, fear of victimization, and victimization acknowledgment are among the factors affecting decision-making, and that these informal and formal victim decisions are unrelated despite having similar predictors.
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