Observatory / E&W
England and Wales
Criminal course-of-conduct offense (2015) · Primary / Carlton brief or statute text · Last reviewed August 31, 2026
What “pattern” means here
Serious Crime Act 2015 s. 76: controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship. The unit is a course of conduct that has a serious effect. A single incident is not the offense. Later Domestic Abuse Act 2021 reforms sit alongside, not in place of, s. 76.
Statutes
Serious Crime Act 2015, s. 76
Controlling or coercive behaviour.
Serious Crime Act 2015, s. 76 names these behaviors. The labels are codes, not statutes.
Expert standard
English criminal courts: relevance and reliability under the common law and CrimPR. Not Daubert.
What Carlton Research can speak to
Carlton Research can speak to pattern analysis (coercive control breadth, depth, escalation, entrapment, and more). Research is built to the evidentiary rules of the jurisdiction that will hear it. Carlton Research does not recommend parenting time or custody. Research establishes whether a pattern of coercive control is present. Inquire about specific testimony requests or speaking engagements.
The first major criminalization. Burden of proof is criminal. Do not import it into a U.S. family-law report as if it were the same product.
Carlton, C. (2026). Coercive Control Observatory: England and Wales. Carlton Research Instruments. /observatory/ew. Last reviewed August 31, 2026.