Drawbacks of Codifying Coercive Control in Child Custody Cases
Webinar Recording – November 2022
Lisa A. Tucker presenting
This webinar, presented by Professor Lisa A. Tucker, will consider the push for new laws which recognize coercive control in the child custody context. Professor Tucker will argue that new coercive control laws will be unlikely to increase support for mothers who are victims of coercive control, and will be unhelpful to them in securing custody of their children. This presentation will educate professionals in the field of gender-based violence on:
– Coercive Control, and its recent recognition across the country
– How coercive control laws may or may not make a difference in child custody cases
– The particular difficulty posed by underfunded and constantly changing family courts
– The importance of expert testimony which is largely unavailable to victims-survivors
– The challenge faced by the skepticism of judicial officers to coercive control
– Engendering judges’ understanding of coercive control through an understanding of the root causes of abuse and the family court system