RT Article
T1 ‘A genuine one usually sticks out a mile’: policing coercive control in England and Wales
JF Policing and society
VO 33
IS 4
SP 398
OP 413
A1 Myhill, Andy
A2 Johnson, Kelly
A2 McNeill, Abigail
A2 Critchfield, Emily
A2 Westmarland, Nicole 1977-
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1845803493
AB In 2015, legislation was enacted in England and Wales to criminalise coercive control. While there has been considerable debate on the merits of the law, there has been little empirical study of its use in practice. This paper presents findings from a focused ethnography conducted in two police forces in England. Field observations with first response officers and specialist investigators reveal structural and social-cultural contexts that mitigate against successful implementation of the law. Specifically, we identify officer knowledge and attitudes, resourcing and the framing of the legislation itself as impeding its wider use. While we did not observe the unintended consequences feared by some observers, we conclude that systemic change is required if the theoretical benefits of the legislation are to be fully realised.
K1 Domestic abuse
K1 Police
K1 Coercive Control
DO 10.1080/10439463.2022.2134370