January is Stalking Awareness Month
Posted by NCRDV
“Stalking has become a criminal offense in the early 1990s and refers to following or harassing somebody against their will. California was the first state to pass anti-stalking laws and penalties in the United States, given the frequent incidents of celebrity harassment initiated by obsessed fans. As “star stalking” was just a well-publicized form of a bigger issue that affected women who tried to escape abusive relationships, by the 2000s, the District of Columbia and all 50 U.S. states had criminalized stalking.
The U.S. National Center for Victims of Crime defines it as “any unsolicited contact between two individuals that communicates a threat (directly or indirectly) or induces fear”. If the criminal stalking conduct takes place across state lines, into or out of tribal land, or is related to interstate commerce, the crime falls under federal laws.”