Putting Coercive Control into Practice: Problems and Possibilities

Barlow, C.; Johnson, K.; Walklate, S.; Humphries, L.

Abstract

There is growing international interest in translating Stark’s concept of coercive control into criminal justice policy and practice. In December 2015 an offence of coercive control was introduced in England and Wales. This paper offers an empirical investigation of the problems and possibilities associated with the translation of this offence into practice in one police force area in England. The findings offer some scope for optimism in response to patterns of abuse, but they also support the view that the current gender-neutral version of the legislation requires revision; there is a need for greater resourcing and training to improve understandings of the nature and impact of coercive control at all points of contact within the criminal justice process and finally, it remains the case that effective responses to domestic abuse need to be genuinely holistic.

Citation

Barlow, C., Johnson, K., Walklate, S., & Humphries, L. (2020). Putting Coercive Control into Practice: Problems and Possibilities. The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society, 60(1), 160-179. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz041

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jul 22, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 31, 2020
• Deposit Date: Aug 15, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 22, 2021
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology
• Print ISSN: 0007-0955
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-3529
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 60
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 160-179
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz041
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1290389