Coercive Control

Question 1

State the definition of coercive control as stipulated in S76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 including statutory defences.

Answer 1

A person (A) commits an offence if:

(A) repeatedly or continuously engages in behaviour towards another person (B) that is coercive or controlling and

At the time of the behaviour, (A) and (B) are personally connected,

The behaviour has a serious effect on (B), and

(A) knows or ought to know that the behaviour will have a serious effect on (B)

Question 2

Explain the behaviours and major tactics of coercive control.

Answer 2

The major tactics of coercive control:

Intimidation - Often involves very subtle warnings that are obvious to the victim, but invisible to outsiders. Physical violence towards others, animals, and objects. Sub-tactics of Intimidation: Threats, Surveillance, Degradation

Degradation & Humiliation - Insults in coercive control often target areas of gender identity from which the woman draws her self-esteem Shaming - inhibits reporting because victims fear humiliation. Marking / Ownership

Surveillance - Stalking, Surveillance Technology - Victim feels perpetrator is “always there

Control - Micro-management Isolation Deprivation, Exploitation & Regulation

Violence - Frequent low level physical and sexual violence and / or occasional serious injury assaults become so normal that the victim often no longer registers them as physical assaults.

Threats - Threats to hurt the victim, others and/or property, with-holding or rationing resources, passive-aggressive threats, anonymous acts – makes the victim feel that they are going ‘crazy.’

Question 3

Describe the impact of coercive control on the victim.

Answer 3

• Isolated
• Trapped
• Fear of consequences
• Lack of support

Question 4

Describe the elements of the points to prove of the coercive control definition in a victim statement.

Answer 4

Coercive control ‘personally connected’:

• They are or have been married or civil partners or agreed to marry or become civil partners.
• They are or have been in an intimate relationship.
• They have or have had a parental relationship in relation to the same child.
• They are relatives.

Coercive control ‘serious effect’:

To prove ‘serious effect’ -
* Causes the victim to fear on at least 2 occasions that violence will be used against them S76(4)(a)
Causes the victim serious alarm or distress which has a substantial adverse effect on their day to day activities S76(4)(b)

Question 5

Explain the Duluth Power & Control Wheel

Answer 5

Explains the strategies perpetrators use to abuse

Question 6

Describe the entrapment process

Answer 6

Stage 1: Grooming/ Conditioning
Stage 2: Normalisation
Stage 3: Entrapment

Question 7

Describe Liz Kelly’s 6 stages of leaving

Answer 7

1. Ending the abuse
2. Ending the Relationship
3. Re-evaluating the Relationship
4. Defining the abuse
5. Distortion of Perspective/Reality
6. Managing the Situation