Stava-Murray Bill Improving Responses to Cyberstalking Becomes Law

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – Victims of cyberstalking will have improved hopes of accountability and closure after a bill by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray aimed at improving the ability of law enforcement to respond to that crime was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“When a person becomes the victim of a cyberstalker, the effects of that can be more than physical, financial or reputational—they are very often emotional and psychological,” Stava-Murray said. “However, we’ve seen that the ability of law enforcement and the justice system to help these people is inconsistent, with policies and responses varying from place to place. That’s why it is so important to give authorities the right statutory tools to effectively address incidents of cyberstalking.”

Stava-Murray’s House Bill 3289 adds a definition of ‘anxiety’ to the existing statute that defines the offense of cyberstalking. It uses the definition contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5^th Edition (DSM-5), which is the primary, standard source of diagnostic information and guidelines employed by psychologists and other mental health professionals.

“Protecting and supporting victims needs to be a top priority in any discussion of how to address a crime like cyberstalking,” Stava-Murray said. “By ensuring that authorities everywhere in our state are working off the same playbook, we are making strides toward a better reality for those who are impacted by this awful crime.”