Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Putting Coercive Control into Practice: Problems and Possibilities

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

Putting Coercive Control into Practice: Problems and Possibilities Thumbnail


Authors

C. Barlow

S. Walklate

L. Humphries



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 Mar 28, 2024
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

Files

Accepted Journal Article (203 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal of Criminology following peer review. The version of record Barlow, C., Johnson, K., Walklate, S. & Humphries, L. (2020). Putting Coercive Control into Practice: Problems and Possibilities. The British Journal of Criminology 60(1): 160-179 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz041




You might also like



Downloadable Citations