‘Doing his job for him’: How the criminal justice system responds when victims or coercive control are accused of offending

In this report we build on our Stop Criminalising Survivors film series and earlier research reports, Women Who Kill, Double Standard and No Safe Space, by presenting the detailed accounts of seven victim-survivors of coercive control, exploring their experiences of being investigated and charged for alleged offending that took place in the context of their own experience of abuse. Led by the survivors’ experiences and insights, we explore the following questions:

• How does coercive control lead victim/survivors to be accused of offending?

• How is victim/survivors’ experience of coercive control taken into account in proceedings against them, if at all?

• What is the impact on victim/survivors?

• What reforms are needed?