Breaking 'Cycle Of Violence': Essex DA Hails New Victim Protection Tools

BEVERLY, MA — Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker championed new state law enforcement tools he said prosecutors and authorities can now use to "curb the cycle of violence" against women — including domestic violence and rape — at the latest Community Conversation forum held at Beverly's Cabot Theater.

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Under the new law adding "coercive control" to the state's domestic violence statute, abusers can be detained or issued restraining orders based on an established "pattern of behavior intended to threaten, intimidate, harass, isolate, control, coerce or compel compliance of a family or household member that causes that family or household member to reasonable fear physical hard or have a reduced sense of physical safety or autonomy."

State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem), Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) Executive Director Sara Stanley, Beverly Police Department Domestic Violence Advocate Ross Steinborn, and Assistant District Attorney Hunter Wildrick Melo joined Tucker at the event.

"It's important that the judicial system understands the dynamics of the cycle of violence," Tucker said, adding that the inclusion of coercive control and extending the statute of limitations in those cases is "critically important, particularly when it comes to rape and domestic violence."

Stanley said the coercive control statute would allow for better protection for those suffering from physical, mental and emotional abuse.

Melo added that the coercive control language also "adds teeth to a court order by letting people know they can potentially get arrested if they violate it."

The Cabot's Community Conversations series features free monthly events hosted at the historic theater that address community well-being through education, experiential arts, social connection, and public forums for important social issues.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)