How Financial Coercive Control Shapes Family Court Cases | James "Jim" Ptacek

Crystal Fedeli
Mar 26
1 min read

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

In this episode, Crystal Fedeli speaks with sociologist Dr. James “Jim” Ptacek about coercive control, survivor entrapment, and how institutional responses shape the options available to individuals experiencing abuse. While financial coercive control is often understood within intimate relationships, this conversation explores how those dynamics extend beyond the relationship itself and into the systems survivors turn to for support.

Drawing on his research, including Feeling Trapped, Jim examines how survivors’ experiences are shaped not only by abuse, but by broader structural forces, including economic constraints, social class, and institutional response. When individuals seek help, the responses they receive can either expand or restrict their available options. In some cases, institutional processes may unintentionally reinforce the very conditions that contribute to entrapment, raising important questions about how systems function in practice.

Together, Crystal and Jim explore how financial coercive control intersects with broader patterns of coercion and constraint, how institutional responses can shape both immediate outcomes and longer-term stability, and what this means for individuals navigating systems such as family court. This conversation is part of a broader research series examining how financial coercive control operates in single-income households and how institutional responses can influence both economic stability and access to justice.

TOPICS DISCUSSED

#CrystalFedeli

#YouMadeaWay

#JamesPtacek

#FinancialCoerciveControl

#CoerciveControl

#EconomicAbuse

#FamilyCourt

#InstitutionalResponse

#AccessToJustice

#DomesticViolenceAwareness

#LegalSystem