‘A genuine one usually sticks out a mile’: policing coercive control in England and Wales

Myhill, Andy; Johnson, Kelly; McNeill, Abigail; Critchfield, Emily; Westmarland, Nicole

Abstract

In 2015, legislation was enacted in England and Wales to criminalise coercive control. While there has been considerable debate on the merits of the law, there has been little empirical study of its use in practice. This paper presents findings from a focused ethnography conducted in two police forces in England. Field observations with first response officers and specialist investigators reveal structural and social-cultural contexts that mitigate against successful implementation of the law. Specifically, we identify officer knowledge and attitudes, resourcing and the framing of the legislation itself as impeding its wider use. While we did not observe the unintended consequences feared by some observers, we conclude that systemic change is required if the theoretical benefits of the legislation are to be fully realised.

Citation

Myhill, A., Johnson, K., McNeill, A., Critchfield, E., & Westmarland, N. (2022). ‘A genuine one usually sticks out a mile’: policing coercive control in England and Wales. Policing and Society, 33(4), 398-413. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2022.2134370

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 5, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Oct 18, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2022
• Journal: Policing and Society
• Print ISSN: 1043-9463
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-2728
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 398-413
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2022.2134370
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1186861
• Related Public URLs: https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/282875/