Free Custom «Criminal Justice. Objectives, Purpose, and Goal» Essay Paper

1.1 Introduction

Stalking has been one of the major issues in relationships of intimate partners. The virtue is widespread and it is mainly associated with lethal abuse. But in the awake of enacted laws which are against stalking the number of stalkers arrested and brought to book are very few. More so, there has been prosecution of stalkers which has worsened the situation. Therefore, the activity and the way the indentified crime is responded to is very vital. In addition, the fate of the stalkers in a charge has a great impact in this case. However, this case does not consider whether there is compromise with the safety or the accountability of the offenders.

1.2 Objectives, purpose, and goal

Qualitative method was identified in analyzing the purpose and goals of this study. Secondary data was used to analyze all states data and they identified and examined the impact of crime of stalking on female intimates and family members and the whole state. This study aimed at answering the following research questions:

i.    Does the police notice cases related to stalking from the reported cases in a domestic violence?

ii.   Is there any difference between domestic violence and stalking cases?

iii.  Does it bring to a difference if the police identify a domestic violence as cases of stalking as opposed to assault which is the other form of domestic violence?

The research hypothesis is the enforcement of stalking matter and stalking is a constituent of felony in Rhode Island where the abuser have not been charged and other places in the country are misdemeanors (Klein 12-13). Thus, stalking cases identified by the police increases the likelihood of the abuser being held accountable hence deterring domestic violence arrests.

In order for the research to address these equations, it had to meet the following objectives.

Objective 1.  Identify all the files which contained reported cases of domestic violence as reported by the police between 2005-2009. Include the specific places where stalking was identified by the police against a female as the victim, and an identification of the same instances which occurred during the same period of time which constituted stalking, but police indicated other domestic crimes

Objective 2. To identify and compare the police and the researcher identified stalking cases, including victims, suspect and the characteristics of the incidence and identifying if these characteristics which were are associated with police identification of a case as stalking.

Objective 3. To determine the similarity in both cases of stalking as identified by the police and the researcher with a large sample of a non stalking domestic violence cases with the involvement of female victims which were reported to the police during the period of study to determine if the ones being victimized and the nature of their abuse is different from other non-stalking cases reported to the police.

Objective 4. To identify the similarities of the criminal justice responses between the police and the researcher identified stalkers from the previous police report throughout the process that followed to determine any difference in the criminal justice response in terms of how they look alike in terms of arrest, prosecution, conviction and court disposition of reported cases.

Objective 5. To identify differences in the resent arrests related to both the police and the researcher identified criminals with relation to stalker suspects related to domestic violence in the region of July 16 2008.

Objective 6. To identify the analysis of the impact brought about by identification of stalking in terms of short term criminal justice response, with the inclusion of arrests, prosecution and sentence of suspects and the longer terms impact on the recent arrests for the recent domestic violence, control of the suspects, the victims and the characteristics of the incidents

Objective 7. To identify and discuss the findings with the official of the Rhodes Island and the involved advocates in the case of stalking to better understand and interpret quantitative findings.

1.3 Literature Review: Stalking and the criminal justice system

A major disconnect exist between the intent of slaking law and their actual effects the laws were enacted in 1990 in California though each state has enacted statute against stalking . In a recent research in California, the intention of the stalking is to protect the victim from a constellation of behaviors which are not criminal in and of themselves. In a report by the US judicial, there is a collective measure of criminal abuse which may include harassment of the victims that may not include the threatening of the victims or place the victims in fear or another reasonable person in fear. Kang asserts that violence against women does not have any significant impact on enforcement have been responding to this crime (90).

1.4 Prevalence of stalking

There is a difference in stalking prevalence basing on its definition and the methodology employed in the identification process. In the recent studies in several states and nations clearly shows that there is stalking everywhere and it is widespread. Furthermore, national violence against women survey shows that 2% of men and 8% of women reported to have been stalked where they experienced a high level of fear. The injury and risk control survey across the nation shows that lower rates of 6.94% of women and 1.99% of men reported that they have been stalked  throughout their lifetime  in a way in which is believed to be very dangerous or very threatening manner (Baum et al 102). In the survey conducted by the supplemental victimization survey  conducted found that the highest number of staled victims; 3.4 victims annually or 20 per 1000 women and  7.4% per 1000 men in the region or rather age range of 18 years and older (Baum et al 89).

1.5 Criminal justice response to stalking

There are several surveys which have been carried out on stalking to determine whether these surveys are real or artifacts of different survey methodology and definition of stalking. It is evident that there is no appearance that the criminal justice response has altered since implementation of the pessimistic report made to congress ten years ago. Thus, little research has been conducted on criminal justice in response to stalking since that assessment.

1.6 Qualitative methods

After the completion of the police analysis and the quantitative study, researchers held a series of interviews with several groups of key information in 2008. The main purpose is to help us acquire a deeper understanding of the quantitative findings and their implication for policy and practice.

1.7 Themes from qualitative interviews

To confirm qualitative study findings, response in general coincided that charging under stalking statutes is rare in Rhode Island.

1.8 Conclusion and implications

Basing on the finding, we concluded that unlike the assessments made  by Brewster of the criminal justices response to stalking in Rhodes Island states that police identify stalking significance with the increase in the accountability of the abuser and the victims be protected from their abusers (67).

1.9 A recommendation of the respondents

The study gave the following approaches to improving the utilization of the statute of stalking in Rhodes Island. In order to overcome the barriers of using the statutes, there should be training of multiple audiences

1.10 Study limitation

It must be understood that this study tells us nothing about prevalence of stalking across the Rhodes Island as a state