Jennifers' Law is a law in the U.S. state of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

that expands the definition of domestic violence to include "coercive control". The law is named for two women, both victims of domestic violence: Jennifer Farber Dulos and Jennifer Magnano.

Jennifer Dulos

Jennifer Dulos has been missing since May 24, 2019. Dulos disappeared in the middle of divorce and child custody proceedings which included allegations of abusive behavior by her then-husband, Fotis Dulos. This custody battle had been ongoing for two years and a hearing had been scheduled to take place concerning the safety of the couple's five children. Fotis was later arrested for her murder but died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, eight months after her disappearance, via carbon monoxide asphyxiation before a pretrial emergency bond hearing.

Jennifer Magnano

Jennifer Magnano was fatally shot, in a murder-suicide by her estranged husband Scott, in front of their children on August 23, 2007. Scott had been ordered to stay away from the house where Jennifer and their three children lived. Similar to the Dulos case, this also occurred while the couple were in the midst of divorce and child custody disputes. Magnano's (now adult) children helped push for the passage of the law named after her.

History

The bill was originally introduced in the

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-shortened 2020 session of the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

and was re-introduced in March of 2021 by state Sen. Alex Kasser (D-Greenwich). A number of organizations and domestic abuse survivors, including

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

, testified in favor of the bill and recounted their own experiences with the abuse of power and control by their domestic partners had affected them. The bill was signed into law on June 28, 2021, by Connecticut Governor

Ned Lamont Edward Miner Lamont Jr. ( ; born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 89th governor of Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwich, Con ...

. Senator Kasser would later reveal that she was also a victim of the type of abuse that the law targeted.

Provisions

The law expanded the state's definition of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

to include coercive control, which was defined as: Examples of behavior that the law identifies as coercive control include not merely physical violence or the threat of physical violence but also: *

Stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitorin ...

and

cyberstalking Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, group, or organization. It may include false accusations, defamation, slander and libel. It may also include monitoring, identity theft, thr ...

* Isolating a person from family, friends, and other sources of support * Denying a person resources that are needed for independence * Manipulative control over a person's activities According to Suzanne Adam, the executive director of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

, the law also makes coercive control grounds for restraining orders and other protections in family relations matters brought to the Superior Courts and establishes grants for persons with low incomes applying for restraining orders. It also makes a number of other changes that are intended to assist people who utilize the courts for protection against abusers.

References

{{reflist Connecticut law Domestic violence in the United States Coercion History of women in Connecticut Violence against women in Connecticut