Is coercive control against the law?

Increasingly, yes — but it depends heavily on where you live and on which part of the legal system you are in. This page explains the landscape in plain language and shows you how to check the current position for your own state or country.

Educational content, written from published research and recognized domestic-violence resources. How this content is developed. MendRii is general-public educational software — not a clinical service, assessment or professional advice.

Three different legal questions

1. Is it a crime? A prosecutable offense with police involvement. This is still rare in the US and standard in the UK and Ireland.
2. Does it count in family court? Whether coercive control can be considered in custody, parenting time and divorce decisions. This is where most US change has happened.
3. Can it support a protective order? Whether non-physical control counts as domestic abuse for a restraining or protection order. Many states allow this in practice through broader definitions of harassment or abuse.

United States

There is no federal coercive control offense. Change has come state by state, mostly in family law: roughly a dozen states now require or permit courts to consider a pattern of coercive control when making custody and protective-order decisions, with California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Colorado among the earlier movers. Several more states have bills in progress each session.

Because this is moving quickly, the reliable way to check your own state is a legal information service rather than any summary page, including this one:

• WomensLaw.org — state-by-state domestic violence statutes (a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence)
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline — advocates can tell you what protections exist locally

United Kingdom and Ireland

Controlling or coercive behavior is a criminal offense in England and Wales under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. Scotland's Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 goes further, covering a course of abusive behavior including psychological abuse. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland both have equivalent offenses.

Home Office statutory guidance on controlling or coercive behaviour

Australia and Canada

Several Australian states, including New South Wales and Queensland, have criminalized coercive control, with others consulting. In Canada, coercive control is recognized in family law through the Divorce Act's definition of family violence, and criminalization has been debated federally.

What this means practically

Even where there is no specific offense, a documented pattern of control often matters: for protective orders, for custody, and for how services assess risk. That is why a careful, dated record is worth keeping — see how to document coercive control safely.