Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law and Justice / Edith Cowan Institute for Education Research
RAS ID
16744
Abstract
This study investigates the influence of prior relationship and severity of behavior on perceptions of stalking and responsibility with a combined sample of 1,080 members of the community from Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Participants were presented with 1 of 12 versions of a hypothetical stalking scenario and responded to scale items regarding the behavior of a male perpetrator toward a female target. Prior relationship and severity of behavior influenced perceptions of stalking and responsibility, and the pattern of findings was consistent across the three countries. The perpetrator’s behavior was perceived to constitute stalking, and necessitate police intervention and a criminal conviction to the greatest extent when the perpetrator and target were portrayed as strangers. In addition, the target was perceived to be the least responsible and the perpetrator was perceived to be the most responsible when they were portrayed as strangers.
DOI
10.1177/0093854813500956
Access Rights
free_to_read
Comments
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of: Scott, A. J., Rajakaruna, N. , Sheridan, L., & Sleath, E. (2013). International perceptions of stalking and responsibility: The influence of prior relationship and severity of behavior. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(2), 220-236. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. Available online here.