The legal system is often used by abusers to exercise coercive control over a former intimate partner.  In this episode, Dr. Heather Douglas describes her research findings from interviews with 65 women in Australia, and her recommendations for change as outlined in her paper "Legal Systems Abuse and Coercive Control" published in Criminology & Criminal Justice in 2018. 

Dr. Douglas is a law professor at the Melbourne Law School and an internationally recognized expert on legal responses to domestic and family violence. In 2021, Dr. Douglas was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia. 

w: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/heather-douglas