Research that has surfaced indicating that coercive control laws do not even predict future violence has been conveniently ignored by the mainstream media. The concept of coercive control was first conveyed to the public following the tragic family homicide of Hannah Clarke, with the grieving parents promoting the argument that the deaths could have been prevented if coercive control laws had been in place. This alleged link between coercive control and domestic violence was used to justify the implementation of new laws in other states, despite the fact that this idea had never been suggested in the UK or by the American feminist who created the concept.
Legislation enforcing coercive control laws is now in place in various states, albeit for heavily disputed charges.In New South Wales, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s recent findings indicate that these laws are ineffective, complicating efforts to ensure that the right individuals are charged. While evidence suggesting that violence protection orders are working is limited, thousands of women continue to be issued with these orders, resulting in high rates of breaches. The reality is that breaching the orders does not always indicate a lack of deterrence. Despite these problems, the future seems set to be even more challenging for men, given the current upward trajectory in the imposition of violence orders.