The Criminalisation of Stalking

Book excerpt: First published in 2001, The Criminalisation of Stalking fills a much-needed gap by drawing upon a range of methodologies to present a thorough and comprehensive examination of the way in which stalking became perceived as a pressing and prevalent social problem in need of legal intervention, as well as providing a critical evaluation of the efficacy and sufficiency of the legal responses. Essentially this book has two main objectives- first, to provide a comprehensive account of the process by which stalking came to be regarded as a significant social problem which merited legal intervention and to evaluate that response. And secondly, to situate this within a wider theoretical context which addresses the role of the criminal law in dealing with social problems and the boundaries of criminalization. This illustrates how a detailed consideration of a particular issue can inform wider debate and provide a unique perspective on existing theoretical material. This socio-legal perspective facilitates the use of a range of methodologies to challenge the existing conceptualization of stalking and to present a wider range of potential solutions to this complex social problem. This is a must read for scholars and researchers of criminology.