ABSTRACT
The Parliament of the United Kingdom took an extraordinary step in 2015 by enacting a criminal statute to penalise coercive control in domestic relationships. The rationale is that abusers may use emotional, psychological, and financial control tactics (i.e., not just physical assaults) to dictate their victims’ choices, activities, and associations. Coercive control can undermine a victim’s autonomy and liberty. Humanitarians and advocates for the rights of women expect this new law to provide a significant tool for criminal justice officials in combating domestic violence, which has proven notoriously challenging to properly investigate, prosecute, and punish.
