University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Legal abuse in the family courts: Examining indicators, prevalence, and association with coercive control

Carter, Maya L.

Content Files
CARTER-THESIS-2024.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124331

Description

Title
Legal abuse in the family courts: Examining indicators, prevalence, and association with coercive control
Author(s)
Carter, Maya L.
Issue Date
2024-04-29
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Hardesty, Jennifer L.
Committee Member(s)
Ogolsky, Brian G.
Department of Study
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Discipline
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • Coercive control
  • Legal abuse
Abstract
Legal abuse, or the exploitation of the family court system to abuse and control a former partner, is a pervasive yet neglected issue that threatens survivors of intimate partner violence and their children during divorce. To contribute to this growing body of literature, the current study aimed to 1) identify and examine the prevalence of indicators of legal abuse in divorce records and 2) examine the association between the frequency of coercive control during marriage and the likelihood of the presence of legal abuse in divorce records. The data were derived from a larger study that combined self-report survey data from mothers and corresponding administrative records for divorces filed between 2009 and 2013 in a Midwest county. Indicators of legal abuse were conceptualized as custody stalking, manipulating child support, prolonging the case, distorting finances and inflicting financial burden, or threats and harassment. A case was coded to have the presence of legal abuse if it contained at least one of these indicators. Among 178 cases, 38 (22%) had the presence of legal abuse indicators, suggesting an overall low prevalence. However, higher frequencies of coercive control during marriage were associated with a higher likelihood of the presence of legal abuse in divorce records. Implications and recommendations for family court and state judiciaries are provided.
Graduation Semester
2024-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124331
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 Maya Carter

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