HARRISBURG – A package of legislation is being introduced to increase protections for stalking victims. The measures were the result of many months of collaborative work between local law enforcement and constituents based on real life cases. One proposal amends the Crimes Code to provide that a person commits the offense of stalking when they knowingly or recklessly places another person in reasonable fear of bodily injury. Another would require defendants convicted of certain domestic violence offenses, such as aggravated assault, strangulation, and stalking, to notify law enforcement and the Office of Victim Advocate if they obtain a new job, residency, or vehicle. Another would allow judges to deny social media access to stalkers in Protection from Abuse proceedings while another bill would impose a mandatory minimum penalty of at least five years’ incarceration for any defendant convicted of a second or subsequent offense of stalking. Another bill increases the offense of stalking from a misdemeanor to a felony when the victim is a minor and the defendant is an adult who is at least four years older than the minor victim. According to the CDC, about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the United States experience stalking at some point in their lives.
