Christine M. Englebrecht

The Fear Factor: Exploring Predictors of Fear Among Stalking Victims Throughout the Stalking Encounter

The crime of stalking has received much research attention, yet there are still important questions to be explored surrounding this behavior. One such question relates to definitions of stalking, including the requirement that victims must express fear to qualify as victims of stalking. The current study addresses this issue by exploring the “fear factor” among stalking victims. In particular, the authors examine the effects situational and victim characteristics have on the fear experienced by stalking victims. Furthermore, as stalking is a crime of repeated pursuit, precursors to fear are examined at two points during the stalking encounter: when the pursuit first began and as it progressed. The results revealed not only that certain situational and victim characteristics produced fear in victims but also that these influences differed across time periods.

The Struggle for ‘‘Ownership of Conflict’’: An Exploration of Victim Participation and Voice in the Criminal Justice System

In the past several decades, the victims’ rights movement has advocated for a more inclusive criminal justice system, one that would allow victims greater voice. In response, states have created opportunities for victims to participate in the various stages of the justice process. One example of this inclusion is the victim impact statement that allows victims the opportunity to share their stories and victimization experiences with the court. And, while there is an abundance of research examining the effects of these statements on certain outcomes (e.g., sentencing), few studies have explored how the victim’s role in the justice process is created in relation to, or perhaps in conflict with, criminal justice workers. The current study used in-depth interviews with criminal justice officials and families of homicide victims to uncover views of victim participation. Results indicated that while most members of the courtroom workgroup felt victims should have a role in the justice process, they believed that role should be limited. Conversely, advocates and crime victims sought a more pronounced role for victims in the justice process. These disparate views caused conflict between these groups and raised questions about the nature of the role for victims in the justice process.

Sufren Los Niños: Exploring the Impact of Unauthorized Immigration Status on Children's Well‐Being

The present study examines the effect of unauthorized immigration status on child well-being at a time of elevated immigration rates, economic decline, and unprecedented local lawmaking related to immigration. Immigrant families today are likely to differ from those of the past in that they are more likely to be from Latin America or the Caribbean and include unprecedented numbers of unauthorized immigrants. In addition, they are settling in destinations that have not historically had immigrant populations. The present study draws on interviews with 40 families from an emerging immigrant destination in north central Indiana to help illuminate the ways in which unauthorized immigration status influences child well-being. Results illustrate that unauthorized status extends beyond the individual to families and that mixed-status family situations create unique challenges for these families. More specifically, these results show the ways in which unauthorized immigrant status may impact family stress and uncertainty, health outcomes, and educational attainment and may result in increased social isolation for children in immigrant families.

Gender differences in acknowledgment of stalking victimization: results from the NCVS stalking supplement.

Research suggests that a significant portion of victims of interpersonal violence do not acknowledge or label their experience as a criminal victimization. Studies exploring unacknowledged victimizations have found that individuals are more likely to acknowledge victimization when the experience meets certain, often stereotypical criteria. This study addressed this issue by integrating literature on victim acknowledgment and stalking victimization to identify correlates of victimization acknowledgment among stalking victims. Data were drawn from the 2006 stalking supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), and the sample included both female and male victims of stalking. Findings revealed support for a “classic stalking script,” which included a reliance on stereotypical types of stalking behavior (i.e., being spied on) that were shown to increase acknowledgment for victims of stalking. Results also described gender based correlates of victimization acknowledgment.

Informal and Formal Help-Seeking Decisions of Stalking Victims in the United States

A large body of criminal justice research has investigated the decisions made by system actors, especially police, judges, and prosecutors. A growing area of research interest has focused on the decisions made by crime victims in response to criminal victimization. Many times, victims decide to seek help from informal sources such as friends or family in overcoming their criminal victimization, a decision that may influence the likelihood of reporting to more formal outlets, including the police. These decisions and the factors that influence a victim’s decision to seek help are not well understood, particularly for victims of stalking. The present study examines the situational and victim characteristics that affect informal help-seeking decisions among stalking victims while also exploring the impact of informal help-seeking on the decision to report the crime to law enforcement (formal help-seeking). Results suggest that dimensions of offense seriousness, fear of victimization, and victimization acknowledgment are among the factors affecting decision-making, and that these informal and formal victim decisions are unrelated despite having similar predictors.

Police Sexual Misconduct: Arrested Officers and Their Victims

Abstract Police sexual misconduct encompasses a range of acts from less serious noncriminal behaviors to more egregious criminal behaviors including police sexual violence. Victims of sex crimes are often reluctant to report sexual abuse when the offender is a police officer. The study provides empirical data on 771 sex-related arrest cases from 2005 to 2008 of 555 sworn officers at 449 nonfederal law enforcement agencies across the United States. The study identifies and describes incidents where officers were arrested for sex crimes through a quantitative content analysis of published newspaper articles and court records. Findings focus on arrested officers and their victims.

Collateral Consequences: The Impact of Local Immigration Policies on Latino Immigrant Families in North Central Indiana

Concern over immigration has culminated in unprecedented legislative action at the local level, in particular state level legislation has begun to increasingly target immigrants and penalize immigration violations (Chavez and Provine, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 623:78–92, 2009; Hegen, State legislation related to immigrants and immigration: January 1–June 30, 2008). The present study examines the effect of state level immigration legislation on immigrant Latino families at a time of high immigration, when immigrants are settling into locations which have not historically had immigrant populations, and during an extended economic recession (Mather, Children in immigrant families chart new path: Reports on America, 2009; US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Economic downturn widespread among states in 2009: Advanced 2009 and revised 1963–2008 GDP-By-state statistics, 2010; US Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano announces deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities, 2012). Immigrant families today are likely to differ from those of the past in that they are more likely to be from Latin America or the Caribbean and include unprecedented numbers of unauthorized immigrants (Passel and Cohn, Unauthorized immigrant population: National and state trends, 2010, 2011; US Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano announces deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities, 2012). The present study draws on interviews with 40 families from an emerging immigrant destination in North Central Indiana to help illuminate the ways in which local legislation and enforcement impacts immigrant Latino families. Results illustrate how state level immigration legislation can create barriers and challenges for immigrant Latino families, with authorized and unauthorized status alike. This study also finds that many immigrant Latino families are “mixed status families,” where a family consists of both authorized and unauthorized immigrant status family members, and thus share the plight of unauthorized family members. Due to this “mixed status family” status, many families experience the collateral consequences of state level legislation, including family stress and uncertainty in the form of family level “liminal legality,” escalated intergenerational tension, and increased social isolation.

Latinidad and Vernacular Discourse: Arts Activism in Toledo's Old South End

This article examines the activism of Toledo area Latina/o artists as vernacular discourse. Artists attempt to reimagine the borders of Old South End by creating public art and advancing critical awareness with community members.

Responding to Homicide: An Exploration of the Ways in Which Family Members React to and Cope With the Death of a Loved One

After a homicide, family members of the victim must cope with their loss and find ways to continue on with their lives. Research suggests that as “secondary victims,” this group may experience grief and cope in ways unique from other victims. Using focus group data, this article examines the impact of homicide on surviving family members. Our findings highlight the divergent ways in which individuals respond to homicide as well as the varying coping strategies families implement. Practical applications of these findings are discussed.

Whose Statement Is It? An Examination of Victim Impact Statements Delivered in Court

Abstract Many crime victims today have the opportunity to create, and in some contexts deliver, a victim impact statement in court. While research has examined the effects of this participation on outcomes like sentencing, very little is known about the content of these statements or if the content is influenced by the context in which it is shared (i.e., the courtroom). Using trial transcripts and interviews with criminal justice officials and family members of homicide victims, the current study examines the stories victims share as well as the influence justice system actors have in their creation and delivery.