Arizona HB 2995, the Alec and Lydia Act, would force family courts to weigh domestic violence and coercive control before parenting time.
Entrapment-Based Relationship
Entrapment-based relationships refer to partnerships where one individuals is confined due to manipulation tactics used by a controlling partner. The entrapped person is conditioned by the controlling person to dread the consequences of exiting the relationship, as the controller has demonstrated the dire consequences they will face should the leave.
Controlling people who cultivate entrapment based relationships often subject their victims with threats about how they will “pay” should the abandon the relationships. There is a spectrum of consequences that ranges from humiliation (i.e. character assassination, revenge porn) to extreme acts of violence (i.e. femicide, familicide, murder/suicide).
Uninformed bystanders are often ignorant about the manipulation tactics used by controllers. Therefore they are prone to victim-blaming, and frequently ask, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” without understanding the reality of the psychological terror victim-survivors experience in entrapment based relationships. For context, a child dies every six days in the context of child custody disputes. These acts of filicide are intended to punish victim-survivors for leaving entrapment-based relationships. The most dangerous time for any survivor of coercive control is leaving the relationship.
In such relationships, the party feeling entrapped often dreads the consequences of leaving, as the other party may resort to punishments and cruelty as a means of maintaining control.
Breaking free from such a relationship requires support and intervention. Victims can seek assistance from friends, family, or professional counselors to understand the dynamics of the relationship and explore strategies for establishing boundaries and regaining control over their lives.
If you have spent any time inside the legal system as a survivor of coercive control, you know what it is to watch a piece of legislation move. You know the years between a bill arriving in committee and a bill reaching enforcement. You know the difference a statute makes when it names what happened to you. You also know…
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Kellie Sutton’s case established the UK’s first “unlawful killing” inquest conclusion for self-inflicted death following coercive control.
Dr. Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid calls for Malaysia to recognize femicide. Three recent cases reveal a crisis hidden inside homicide statistics.
South Carolina’s Mica’s Law — a bill to criminalize coercive control — has stalled in committee. Here’s what happened and what’s next.
Understand the narcissistic bait and switch — from love bombing and future faking to devaluation — and how to recover.
The story behind the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index, why I built it, and how you can help me continue this work.
Parental alienation, counter-parenting, children in coercive control — a complete resource hub for targeted parents, with Dr. Michael Kinsey.
Financial abuse after separation — asset concealment, lawfare, non-payment of support. What it looks like, how to document it, and rebuild.