In Control: Dangerous Relationships and How They End in Murder

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It implores readers to look for ‘red flags’ in past relationships, as well as the likelihood that somebody will repeat this behaviour. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. You would be hard pushed to find someone that has not been impacted by Domestic Violence even in some small way. A former police officer, she is professor of public protection at the University of Gloucestershire, and is recognised for her groundbreaking work on coercive control and stalking. The premise of the book is to explore the escalation of dangerous relationships and that is achieved.

There is nothing wrong with the modern presumption of innocence legal process, but it is worth noting that its premise is like the contemporary judicial process, which puts the plaintiff and the defendant on an equal footing, and a premise that is insufficiently justified cannot draw a valid conclusion. I work in the court system and am often frustrated with books that try to illustrate failings but I was impressed with this book. Reading real life interviews of these families make these women more than statistics and the murderous men who kill them to be seen as controlling rather than the victims. Using this the author debunks the myths of 'crimes of passion' and also looks at how the victim in these cases is often unheard and somehow deserved their treatment. This is an amazing book in which Jane Monckton Smith details the stages of coersive control and domestic abuse and is the new textbook on abusive relationships.The book reminds us that coercive control is often difficult to identify and understand, despite its recognition in law. Learning to look for concerning behaviours and identify each of the 8 stages was both reassuring and concerning in equal measure. She's ex-police with years of experience and expertise she explains every stage in these relationships clearly and concisely.

World-renowned criminologist Jane Monckton Smith's groundbreaking work is revolutionising the understanding of coercive control and domestic homicide among those who respond to it. Chapter two explores ‘the commitment whirlwind’, where a controlling person moves things forward with a new partner extremely quickly or with intense persistence.Considering how confronting the content is, this book was an easy and compelling read, that I encourage everyone to read. It’s a really harrowing experience to see the sheer number of examples for all types of scenarios in all types of relationships that she is able to procure. Sadly, our children should read this too before they get too far down the track of looking for partners and relationships. For example, the constant need for validation from the partner in the relationship guaranteed by the perpetrator's threat of suicide (Stage 3), and when the partner is firmly within the perpetrators grasp of control (Stage 5), there is a sudden change of behavioural pattern like no longer needing to go through the daily rituals as a couple together and even giving the controlled spouse more freedom (Stage 6) and murder/manslaughter takes place in the most violent manner - stabbing in broad daylight being one occurrence (Stage 8).