Defining coercive control: Problems and possibilities

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced a legal definition of domestic abuse into law for the first time in England and Wales. Coercive control is itemised as one of a list of offending behaviours, alongside other bullet points such as ‘physical or sexual abuse’ and ‘violent or threatening behaviour’. This chapter presents an exploration of how coercive control is used by men to entrap women, drawing on data from interviews and focus groups with survivors and their closest advisers and on early reports of the controlling or coercive behaviour offending coming before the Court of Appeal. It concludes that the Domestic Abuse Act definition represents a fundamental misunderstanding of coercive control; not as one of five bullet points, but rather a framework that brings meaning to all of the bullet points. Without this paradigm shift the ability of police and prosecutors to keep vulnerable women safe is severely compromised.