Cyber-Stalking Legislation Management Writing Assignment

Cyber-stalking Legislation
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Institution
Cyber-stalking Legislation
Cyber-stalking has been on the rise due to technological advancement and more people are now being victimized by cyber-stalkers. This has forced legislators to formulate new laws or amend existing anti-stalking laws to effectively protect citizens from cyber-stalking and punish the perpetrators.
In Las Vegas, Nevada, cyber-stalking falls under the statute NRS 200.575(3), which states that a person commits cyber-stalking when he/she uses the internet, electronic mail, network, site or text messages to publish, display or distribute information in a way that substantially increases the risk of harm or violence to the victim(Working to Halt Online Abuse, 2010). The penalties for cyber-stalking under this law are one to five years in Nevada State prison and a fine of not more than $10,000.
The cyber-stalking law in Nevada is effective in deterring offenders since they attract greater penalties unlike the offline stalking, which only attracts a misdemeanor charge for first time offenders (Shouse, 2015). In addition, the law allows individuals who believe they are being cyber-stalked to seek a restraining order from the courts to refrain the accused from having any communication with the victim.
Cyber-stalking legislation requires the accused individual to make a direct threat to the alleged victim and cannot protect the victim if the stalking does not involve a threat. In addition, the law requires direct contact between the victim and the perpetrator and does not protect victims from third party stalking. This has been made difficult by the ability to remain anonymous over the internet, limiting cyber-stalking legislation. Furthermore, cyber-stalking lacks geographical limitation and can result in lack of jurisdiction (Bishop, 2013). This is especially the case if the victim and perpetrators are in different geo...