Review of the controlling or coercive behaviour offence
The Home Office has undertaken a review of the controlling or coercive behaviour offence, which was introduced in December 2015.
Applies to England and Wales
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The review considered the available criminal justice system data, academic literature, and engaged with stakeholders, to understand how the controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB) offence has been used since its introduction in 2015.
The review found that volumes of recorded offences and prosecutions have increased year on year since the offence’s introduction, indicating that the legislation has provided an improved legal framework to tackle this type of abuse. However, the review also concludes that there is likely still room for improvement in understanding, identifying and evidencing CCB, as it is likely that only a small proportion of all CCB comes to the attention of the police or is recorded as CCB, and charge rates remain relatively low.
Updates to this page
Last updated 10 May 2021 + show all updates
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Previously released as Home Office Research Report 122.
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First published.