Coercive Control Summary

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Recommended: Theory of domestic violence

Book Review Doctor Evan Stark began writing his book Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life in 1995. Unquestionably so, completing this book was an extensive undertaking. His entrenchment and immersion in the field of domestic violence relating to social work, legal/policy and research, spans far greater than the twelve years it took him to complete this book. Stark draws from, and acknowledges, colleagues as well friendships that have provided him with the knowledge base necessary to compete such an exhaustive work. Dr. Stark’s credentials in the area of violence against women developed through both his own academic career and his professional achievements. Additionally, the network of other anti-violence colleagues he has …show more content…

The changes in criminal justice response to domestic violence have increased the number of arrests. Yet Stark explains that the probability that an arrest will lead to a sentence remains minimal (p. 79). The number of violent attacks on women by their partners is about the same today as it was before the domestic revolution, but the frequency of minor injuries has increased rapidly (p. 79). Stark explains that at the heart of the domestic violence revolution was the acceptance of a particular type of violence and victimization. Although this made the domestic violence revolution successful in the ways outlined above, it also failed to encompass the experiences of women outside of these narrow …show more content…

This is a weakness of the book in two ways. First, police and other criminal justice actors remain involved in the response to coercive controlling disputes. For police to respond appropriately they must be able to detect the situation at hand. With knowledge of the coercive controlling model, officers may be more equipped to respond appropriately and to remove the perpetrator. However, that is based on the assumption that police will be called in the first place. This ignores the reality that police are not often called in these types of relationships. Second, is that police will be able to detect that coercive control is what is taking place. This is a point that Stark recognizes in relation to domestic violence, and it seems to apply to coercive control as well. The most coercive and controlling relationships will not be easily detected as the perpetrator will have indoctrinated the victim to such an extend it is not likely that she will feel safe enough to speak out to the officers. Next, he suggests that there is a need to craft a new body of criminal and civil law to identify coercive control. The problem however remains; that criminal and civil law are built on a foundation of patriarchy. It is unclear if by a new body of criminal and civil law Stark is referring to a structure that is completely

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