Definitions proposed for “coercive controlâ€
State Representative Courtney Neron has introduced
HB 3186 which attempts to define "coercive control" in the context of the Family Abuse Prevention Act in
ORS 107.700
The basic part of the bill is in Section 2:
A person exercises coercive control over another when the person engages in a pattern of threatening, humiliating or intimidating action that is designed to isolate and exploit the other person, including:
(1) Isolating the other person from friends and family;
(2) Controlling how much money is accessible to the other person and how it is spent;
(3) Monitoring the other person’s activities, communications and movements;
(4) Name-calling, degradation and frequently demeaning the other person;
(5) Threatening to harm or kill the other person or a child or relative of the other person;
(6) Threatening to publish information or make false reports to a law enforcement agency regarding the other person;
(7) Damaging the other person’s property or household goods; and
(8) Forcing the other person to take part in criminal activity or child abuse.
While the sentiment behind these additions may be nice, the language is significantly vague so as to be problematic. The vague definitions in the bill almost invite another sort of abuse or neglect in which care -- or appropriate oversight -- is withheld in an attempt to limit legal liability.
The bill has not yet been scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Judiciary.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-03-09 09:57:14 | Last Update: 2021-03-09 22:39:03 |
