~ What is Criminal Harassment ~ Post 2 Taking Action

Post 2

Criminal Harassment

Taking Action
What can I do if someone is stalking or harassing me?
Think about your safety and get help. The first thing to do is call the police.
Dial 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Call the regular police number to discuss other criminal harassment offences.
Tell the police what is happening.
Let the police know that you fear for your safety or for the safety of someone you know.
Ask for support and information to help you cope.

How can the police help me?

Your safety is important to the police. The police can suggest ways to stop unwanted contact and improve your safety. They can put you in touch with others who can help. This might include victim service workers, transition houses, or crisis and counselling services. They may also suggest safety measures such as getting an unlisted phone number.

The police will investigate the complaint. They will ask about the harassment and collect as much evidence as possible. They may take photographs of damaged property and ask for any written records. The officer will write a report about the incident and ask you to prepare a written statement of your complaint.

What kind of information do the police need?

The police need as much evidence as possible, so try to keep the following:

• Any relevant details that you know about the person. For example, does he or she have a gun, a criminal record, or an existing court order not to contact you?
• Written records with details about every contact. These records will help if you go to court. (Try to include dates, times, places and what the person said or did.) Ask your friends to keep records too if the person is contacting them.
• Things the person sent you, such as notes, gifts, or phone messages.
• A list of witnesses, including names and telephone numbers.

Will the police charge the person who is harassing me?If there is enough evidence of an offence, the police will charge the person. In some provinces, the police must consult with the Crown prosecutor before they lay charges. However, if the police do not charge the person, it does not mean that they do not believe you. There may not be enough evidence to support a charge and the police may suggest other legal options such as a peace bond, restraining order or protection order.

What would the police charge the person with? Depending on what has happened and the type of evidence, the police might charge the person with one or more Criminal Code offences, such as:

• criminal harassment
• trespassing at night
• assault
• uttering threats
• intimidation

Will the person harassing me be arrested and sent to jail? The answer is not simple. It depends on the facts and the seriousness of the behaviour. The police will assess each situation and take the appropriate action under the circumstances. For example, if the police do not arrest the person, they may require him or her to sign a "promise to appear" in court to answer the charge. Tell the police and victim services if you still fear for your safety. If the police do make an arrest, ask them to let you know if they release the person from custody. If the person goes before a judge or a Justice of the Peace, which usually happens within hours, he or she might be:

• released on an "undertaking" (a promise that usually has conditions to stay away from the victim and other related persons);
• released on bail after signing a "recognizance" (a promise to appear in court which includes a financial penalty for not showing up and perhaps restrictions like promising not to contact you); or
• kept in jail until the trial. This might happen if the crime was serious and the court believes the person may not show up, or will commit another offence before the trial.

Will I have to go to court?

• If charges are laid, the police will turn the file over to the Crown prosecutor's office. The Crown prosecutor is responsible for taking the case to court. If the accused person pleads guilty, you may not have to go to court. If he or she pleads not guilty, the Crown prosecutor would summon you as a witness at the trial to prove that the person committed the crime. Ask for help from victim services. A victim service worker can answer questions about what will happen in court, and keep you updated on the status of your case. They can also make sure you have an interpreter in court if you need one. You can contact the Crown prosecutor in your case if you have questions about the evidence you will present in court.

What happens if the person is found guilty?

• If the accused person pleads guilty or is found guilty, the judge will decide the sentence. Before sentencing, you can give the court a written victim impact statement describing how the crime affected you. If you wish, you may read the statement at the sentencing hearing. The sentence for a criminal harassment conviction may range from jail in the most serious cases (up to 10 years) to probation in less serious cases. Probation orders can include conditions such as no contact. The court can also impose a fine. The exact sentence depends on many factors -- whether violence was used, whether the person already has a criminal record, whether drugs and alcohol were involved, and so on.

Next --> Legal Option

~ What is Criminal Harassment ~ Post 1

There will be three or four post about this issue... What is Criminal Harassment, Stalking, How to get help, and how to be safe.

Post 1
Criminal Harassment

Are you worried about your safety because someone is:

• following you everywhere...
• contacting you over and over...
• watching your home or office...
• making you or your family feel threatened?

You may be experiencing criminal harassment!
It's a crime! You can get help.



What You Should Know About Criminal Harassment

What is criminal harassment?

• Criminal harassment is an offence in the Criminal Code. It is harassing behaviour that includes stalking. The behaviour must give you good reason to fear for your personal safety and it must have no legitimate purpose. Generally, the behaviour must happen not just once but repeatedly. However, where the behaviour is overtly threatening, a single incident may be considered criminal harassment. It is not an excuse for the person to claim that he or she did not intend to frighten you.

• Remember, though, some people do have a lawful reason to contact you repeatedly. For example, a debt collector may call you several times. Although you may not like this contact, it is lawful when done according to laws regulating collections.

Here are some examples of criminal harassment:

• calling you over and over again, and perhaps hanging up whenever you answer the phone
• contacting you on the Internet or through constant e-mail messages
• following you, your family or friends
• leaving threatening voice messages
• sending you gifts you do not want
• watching you or tracking where you go
• threatening you, your children, family, pets or friends

These are common examples. Such unwanted behaviour can be frightening and cause emotional distress. You can take action if this is happening to you. Contact the police to discuss your options.

Is criminal harassment something new?

Harassment and stalking have been around for a long time, but the specific Criminal Code offence of "criminal harassment" was only created in 1993. In the past, the police would charge a person with an offence like trespassing at night, loitering or uttering threats. These crimes still exist and may still be charged. However, since 1993 the police usually address this type of conduct through a charge of criminal harassment.

Criminal Harassmentlegislation is a response to the increasing violence against women, especially women leaving a marriage or intimate relationship.
Who stalks and why?Stalkers have a variety of personalities and characteristics. Some may have a mental disorder. Experts have described many types of stalkers, but they mostly fit into two basic categories:

• Stalkers obsessed with a stranger: Some stalkers fixate on a stranger, sometimes a celebrity. They may believe their conduct will eventually win the love of their victim. Or they may have delusions that the victim already loves them but cannot return their affection because of some external influence. In Canada, about 12% of victims of criminal harassment are harassed by a stranger.

• Stalkers obsessed with someone they know: Many stalkers know their victims and are trying to control them, whether they are ex-partners, spouses, acquaintances, co-workers or close friends. About 88% of criminal harassment victims fall into this category. In many cases, the stalking is an extension of family violence.

Although anyone can be a victim of criminal harassment, Statistics Canada data show that about 8 out of 10 victims are women, and 9 out of 10 stalkers are men.
Will the stalker become violent?It is hard to know if the person harassing you will become violent. You should ask the police to help you assess the risk. Less than 1% of criminal harassment cases involve injury to the victim. However, when criminal harassment is a continuation of a family violence situation the risk of violence is greater. It is always a good idea to find ways to increase your safety.

Why me?Being harassed or stalked is not your fault. The person may claim to love you, but he or she really wants to control you. You have the right to reject a friendship, separate from a spouse, or break up with a partner. Just because you know the person does not mean that you must put up with the harassing behaviour. You are not to blame if someone repeatedly bothers you or follows you around. Remember, what they are doing is NOT love. It is against the law and you can take action.

Next ---> how to take action

~ GIRLS LOOK OUT ~ Safety Issues~~

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY AND BE CAREFUL!!

Subject: Fw: Read it girls and be careful! Guys, warn all girls that you
know!!

On March 12th, 2006, Jhessika Petroff a 42 y/o female from Ontario Canada
stopped at her local SHELL pay- at- the-pump gas station to obtain fuel for
her car. Once having filled the tank full and having paid the amount due,
she heard over the speaker the attendant inside requesting her to come into
the station. He told her something happened with her card and that she would
need to come inside to pay.

The lady was confused as her card transaction indicated that the debit was
succesful, complete and approved. She relayed that to the attendant and was
getting ready to leave but the attendant, once again insisted and urged her
to come inside to pay or she could be in trouble.

She proceeded to go inside and started arguing with the attendant about his
threat. He told her to calm down and listen carefully: He said that while
she was pumping gas, a guy was viewed on the station's theft mirrors
slipping into her back seat on the opposite side of her automobile; and he
assured her that he had already called the authorities. She became
frightened and looked out in time to see her car door open and a male
slipping out.

North American Police are currently reporting a new gang initiation ritual:
New Gang members are encouraged to return to their gang bunkers with a
female and/or her car. One way they do this is to crawl into female's cars
while they pump gas or purchase groceries during the night or late
afternoon. Members are also known to slip into unattended cars and kidnap
females.

Police in and around Markham, Newmarket, Toronto, Bradford, Aurora,
Brampton, eastern Ontario, Hull, Gatineau, Pontiac, Lasalle, Lachine,
Kirkland, Pointe-Claire and other areas of Quebec have registered a rise in
this crime.

PLEASE REMAIN VIGILANT and forward this information to other female on-line
friends! and pass this information on to other females: young and old.
Be careful going to and from your car at night.

This is Real ~ We encourage you to verify with the local Police Dept. of
those communities and cities.

1. ALWAYS LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS, EVEN IF YOU'RE GONE FOR JUST A SECOND.

2. CHECK BACK-SEAT AREA OF YOUR CAR WHEN APPROACHING IT FOR RE-ENTRY, AND CHECK THE BACK BEFORE GETTING IN.

3. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS IN YOUR GENERAL VICINITY,
PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT.

~ ON DRINKING ~

~ We drank for happiness and became unhappy

~ We drank for joy and became miserable

~ We drank for sociability and became argumentative

~ we drank for sophistication and became obnoxious

~ @@~

~ We drank for for friendship and made enemies

~ We drank for for sleep and awakened without rest

~ We drank for strength and felt weak

~ We drank medicinally and acquired health problems

~ @ @ ~

~ We drank for relaxation and got the sakes

~ We drank for bravery and became afraid

~ We drank for for confidence and became doubtful

~ We drank to make conversation easier and slurred our speech

~ @@ ~

~ We drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell

~ We drank to forget and were forever haunted

~ We drank for freedom and became slaves

~ @ @ ~

~ We drank to erase problems and saw them multiply

~ We drank to cope with life and invited death

by: ~ ROSIE, 16, TORONTO ~

A Little Boys Temper

A Little Boys TemperThere once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said "you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.

"You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

By: Author Unknown