Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker this week praised the addition of “coercive control” to the state’s domestic violence law.
Tucker made his remarks at a Community Conversation forum at Beverly’s Cabot theater. He was joined by state Sen. Joan Lovely, Healing Abuse Working for Change Executive Director Sara Stanley, Beverly Police Department Domestic Violence Advocate Ross Steinborn and Assistant District Attorney Hunter Wildrick Melo.
“It’s important that the judicial system understands the dynamics of the cycle of violence,” Tucker said, in saluting the legislature for adopting the new language and extending the statute of limitations, which he said is “critically important, particularly when it comes to rape and domestic violence.”
Coercive control, he noted, is defined as “a pattern of behavior intended to threaten, intimidate, harass, isolate, control, coerce or compel compliance of a family or household member that causes that family or household member to reasonably fear physical harm or have a reduced sense of physical safety or autonomy.”
“The addition of coercive control language makes obtaining a restraining order available to a wider range of people,” Stanley said, not solely those being physically victimized.
Melo noted that the coercive control language also “adds teeth to a court order by letting people know they can potentially get arrested if they violate it.”