With its latest criminal justice bill, the federal government is looking to change that. If passed, Bill C-16 will see femicide recognized in the Criminal Code. It will also criminalize coercive ...

Why don’t abused women leave violent relationships? The question is deceptive, as it assumes that women and others in abusive relationships have choices and agency. In fact, the dynamics of abuse, ...

Abusive behavior is not always obvious. Here are some of the mechanisms controlling individuals use to keep their partners silent and disempowered. When we think of an unhealthy relationship, we often ...

The domestic violence field lost an important advocate with the passing of Andrew Cicchetti, Ph.D., in November 2024. Below are some of his ideas, with quotes taken from our personal correspondence, ...

Distinguishing femicide from homicide is essential for the law to reflect this reality and ensure institutional responses compatible with the gravity and complexity of this crime. The formal ...

I’ve heard women describe years of psychological torture. Partners who controlled what they wore, who they spoke to, how they spent every penny. Men who monitored phones, isolated them from family and ...

This is The Marshall Project’s Closing Argument newsletter, a weekly deep dive into a key criminal justice issue. Want this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for future newsletters. On April 27, 2024, ...

It is long-standing law in Massachusetts that the best interests of a child govern custody disputes. Said another way, when parents cannot agree and the court has to make custody and parenting time ...

A recently introduced Colorado bill seeks to require judges to consider "misgendering" as a form of "coercive control" during child custody disputes. If passed, the bill would pose a major threat to ...

-Among people who experienced coercive control, close to 42.9 % also report physical violence — meaning controlling behavior often precedes or accompanies more overt assault (according to PMC).