Legal Help—Seeking Experiences of Former Intimate—Stalking Victims

Abstract

Few researchers have explored the experiences of stalking victims in the legal system. Data for this study were gathered through extensive interviews with 187 women who were stalked by former intimate partners. Content analyses of interview transcripts revealed that most victims initially attempted to handle the situation themselves, but the majority ultimately sought assistance from the legal system. Logistic regression analyses examined predictors of legal help seeking. Predictors of seeking any type of legal help, filing for a protection from abuse order or temporary restraining order, and/or seeking police assistance included age (i.e., older women were more likely to seek help), race (i.e., White women were most likely to seek assistance), the presence of threats of violence, violent acts by the stalker, and length of stalking. Likert-type scale ratings by victims of the police, prosecutors', and judges' handling of their cases revealed greatest satisfaction with judges, followed by prosecutors. Suggestions for ways in which the system can better respond to the needs of stalking victims are made. Policy recommendations include greater criminal justice responsiveness to victims of stalking and more coordinated efforts between the police and courts.