Content area
Full Text
HIGHLIGHTS
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] Following a slight decrease from 1995 to 1996, the number of criminal harassment incidents reported to police has increased by 32% from 1996 to 1999. The number of cases processed in adult provincial courts also increased by 32% since 1994/95.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] In 1999, 5,382 incidents of criminal harassment were reported by a sample of 106 police forces. These forces represented 41% of the annual volume of reported crime in Canada.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] While victims are predominantly female (77% in 1999), there has been a slight increase (from 19 to 23%) in the proportion of male victims from 1995 to 1999. Most women were stalked by men with whom they had been in previous intimate relationships, while men were most frequently stalked by casual acquaintances.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] Offences commonly associated with criminal harassment incidents include uttering threats, threatening or harassing phone calls, common assault and mischief.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] While most incidents of criminal harassment do not result in physical injury, stalking has the potential of progressing to more serious crimes. There were nine homicides from 1997 to 1999 that involved criminal harassment as the precipitating crime. In each of these homicides, the victim was a female who was being stalked (and subsequently killed) by a recently separated spouse, ex-husband or ex-lover.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] In 1999, 42% of incidents resulted in a charge being laid, compared to 51% in 1995. The most common reason for not laying charges was because the victim did not want to proceed with charges.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] The conviction rate for criminal harassment (53%) is consistent with the rates for common assault (54%), and all crimes against the person (53%). In 1998/99, criminal harassment cases with at least one other charge had a much higher conviction rate (60%) than cases where criminal harassment was a stand-alone charge (36%). More than half (51%) of cases where criminal harassment was the only charge were stayed or withdrawn.
[Symbol Not Transcribed] [filled square] Imprisonment was imposed in 35% of convicted criminal harassment cases. This is a higher percentage than for common assault cases (28%), but lower than for all other...