Protective orders: reproductive coercion.

Existing law establishes the Domestic Violence Prevention Act for the purpose of preventing acts of domestic violence, abuse, and sexual abuse and providing for a separation of the persons involved in the domestic violence for a period sufficient to enable those persons to seek a resolution of the causes of the violence. Existing law authorizes a court to issue a protective order enjoining a party from engaging in specified acts, including threatening or harassing the other party or disturbing the peace of the other party. Existing law defines "disturbing the peace of the other party" as conduct that destroys the mental or emotional calm of the other party, including coercive control, which is a pattern of behavior that unreasonably interferes with a person's free will and personal liberty and includes, among other things, unreasonably isolating a victim from friends, relatives, or other sources of support. A knowing and intentional violation of a protective order is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would add engaging in reproductive coercion, as described, to the definition of disturbing the peace of the other party. Because a violation of a protective order is punishable as a crime, by expanding the bases for the issuance of these orders, this bill would expand an existing crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.