Table 1 Coercive control categories and subcategories with examples identified from police text narratives
From: Text mining domestic violence police narratives to identify behaviours linked to coercive control
Coercive control category | Subcategory type | Examples from text narrative |
|---|---|---|
Harassment | Stalking, unspecified | The accused was charged with stalking |
Stalking through vehicle | Continued to follow the victim with their car | |
Stalking at known location | Defendant has parked their vehicle a short distance away from the victim's residence | |
Trespassing | Forced their way into the house | |
Harassment, unspecified | Has been continuously harassing the victim | |
Harassment [phone calls] | Received several phone calls from the accused | |
Harassment [text messages] | Victim received over 200 messages | |
Harassment [emails] | Received approximately 100 emails | |
Harassment [social media] | Sent Facebook threatening messages | |
Harassment [unwanted gifts] | Has repeatedly given the victim flowers and chocolates | |
Harassment [letters/notes] | Has been leaving letters and notes | |
Harassment at known location | Victim asked the accused to leave the house multiple times | |
Blackmail | Defendant blackmailed the victim to give them money | |
Unauthorized information dissemination | Recorded them without their permission | |
Social abuse | Acts of self-harm by the POI | Defendant started to cut their own wrists |
Illegal use of tracking device | Placed a tracking device on the victim’s vehicle | |
Unauthorized sharing/dissemination of private intimate materials | The defendant shared an intimate video without the victim’s permission | |
Statements of surveillance | I need to know what days you are home and what days you are out | |
Internet search of private details | Conducted several Internet searches about the victim’s address | |
Privacy violation | Defendant went through the victim’s phone | |
Controlling behaviour | Has become very possessive of the victim | |
Premises lock out | Refused to let the victim into the house | |
Home isolation | Isolating the victim in the house | |
Isolation [family] | Not allowing the victim to see their family | |
Isolation [children] | Does not allow victim to see their children | |
Isolation [friends] | Does not allow the victim to socialise | |
Financial abuse | Deprivation of basic necessities | Deprived the victim access to clothes |
Employment control | Did not allow the victim to go to work | |
Financial control | The accused controlled the complainant’s money | |
Withholding of personal effects | Grabbed the victim’s wallet | |
Property damage | Arson | Attempted to set fire to the premises |
Property damage | Charged with malicious damage | |
Other abuse | Intimidation with an object | Picked up a knife and threatened the victim |
Intimidation to harm | Was going to kill the victim | |
Intimidation, unspecified | Was charged with intimidation | |
Obsession with victim | They were obsessed with the victim | |
Verbal abuse | Threat to harm animals (e.g., pets, farm animals) | Has threatened to harm the dog |
Threat to harm a third person | They said they were going to kill the whole family | |
Threat to take the children away | Threatened to take the baby away | |
Verbal abuse | Continued to yell abuse at the victim | |
Threat to self-harm | I am going to cut myself | |
Threat to commit suicide | He threatened suicide | |
Direct threat to damage property | I’m going to smash the car | |
Direct threat to kill | I am going to kill you | |
Direct threat to sexual assault | I am going to rape you | |
Direct threat to harm animals | I will kill your dog | |
Direct veiled threat to harm | Watch your back | |
Direct threat to harm a third person | Your dad is going to get shot |