‘Coercive control’ now helps define domestic violence in Mass., an important gain for those facing harm (Viewpoint)
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When I began working at a domestic violence shelter years ago, I expected the stories of physical and sexual abuse. What I didn’t expect was the other stuff – the stories about not being allowed to choose what to wear or what to eat, not being able to leave the house or talk to family on the phone, not being allowed to sleep or to take needed medicine or even voice an opinion.
I didn’t expect the story about being taken out to the back yard and shown where someone could bury a body, if they ever wanted to.
Today, we call this other stuff “coercive control.” It’s not the kind of controlling behavior that is just annoying. It’s the kind that is scary, that you would be afraid to defy, that makes it hard to have any sense of control over your life.
Last year, coercive control became part of the legal definition of domestic violence in Massachusetts. It is defined as a “pattern of controlling behavior that intentionally causes a person to reasonably fear physical harm or causes a reduced sense of physical safety or autonomy.”
This is a game changer. It is the most helpful legal change I have seen in the field of domestic violence in decades.
Massachusetts courts issue close to 40,000 restraining orders a year, and reports from the field are that now many of these orders explicitly forbid coercive control.
To be clear, the new law doesn’t mean someone can be arrested for coercive control on its own. It only allows survivors to apply for a restraining order from a local judge who will decide if the application meets the new legal threshold. If the judge does issue an order and it is violated, then police can make an arrest.
But the hope is the order deters that behavior, allowing more people to live a safe, dignified life.
October is domestic violence awareness month, and it’s a great time to get the word out about this new law. In a time of fiscal restraint, making sure people know about this new law is something concrete we can do that costs nothing but will make our communities safer.
We need to be cautious. Survivors, especially those from marginalized or unprotected communities, take a risk when they seek help from the legal system. Not every judge will help even when help is warranted. If a survivor’s order is denied it can in some cases increase danger, especially if the offender is high-risk or feels they have nothing to lose. As a field, we rely far too heavily on an imperfect legal system for answers and neglect prevention and education at great cost.
Still, one of our tools to reduce domestic violence just got stronger.
Content retrieved from: https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2025/10/coercive-control-now-helps-define-domestic-violence-in-mass-an-important-gain-for-those-facing-harm-viewpoint.html.
