ABSTRACT
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is often understood by academics and professionals alike as consistently repetitive abusive behavior manifesting in multiple forms of overt and covert acts, which the civil justice system may be able to recognize when evaluating a petition for injunction. Scholars and advocates have successfully promoted the inclusion of coercive control language in civil and criminal laws; however, they are not prevalent throughout the world. Indeed, there is much more work to be done. The argument that an IPV victim, who is tormented through the non-violent tactics of coercive control, should not continually be subjected to such torture due to the prolonged, lifelong physical and mental ailments that occur with such sustained suffering is one that must be fulfilled with adequate laws of protection. Also, more appropriate IPV victim centered lethality risk assessment protocols are needed that differentiate themselves from the current tools that focus on physical violence measures. With community outreach and education, coercive control will be better understood by IPV victims and their abusers, as well as those who advocate to help mitigate this deadly form of domestic abuse.
