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CODA's Research & Policy Reports
Documenting patterns of violence, identifying systemic failures, and advancing data-driven solutions for prevention and reform.
The Coalition to Oppose Domestic Abuse (CODA) developed these reports in response to a critical and persistent gap between the realities of violence, trauma, and system response and how those realities are currently understood within institutional frameworks.
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Across Michigan and nationally, individuals navigating domestic violence, post-separation abuse, gun violence, and trauma-related system involvement continue to encounter fragmented responses, inconsistent enforcement, and systemic misinterpretation of risk. These outcomes are not the result of isolated failures. They reflect structural limitations in how violence, control, and trauma are defined, identified, and addressed.
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CODA’s research initiative was created to document these patterns, analyze their impact, and establish a comprehensive, evidence-based foundation for systemic reform. Each report integrates direct case analysis, multidisciplinary research, and Michigan-specific data to examine how violence evolves over time and how systems respond to it.
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This report provides a comprehensive analysis of coercive control, litigation abuse, and violence prevention through a trauma-responsive framework. It examines how abuse persists beyond separation and often continues within legal systems, highlighting critical gaps in enforcement and risk identification.
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Through case analysis and data-driven research, the report identifies key patterns of escalation, including stalking and post-separation violence, and emphasizes the need for system-wide adoption of pattern recognition and trauma-informed response. Its findings are designed to inform policy, improve institutional practices, and prevent violence before it escalates.
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This report examines the intersection of trauma and incarceration, demonstrating how early exposure to violence, instability, and systemic disadvantage contributes to long-term justice system involvement. It reframes criminal behavior through a trauma-informed lens, showing that incarceration is often the result of unaddressed trauma rather than isolated individual actions.
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Through data analysis and case patterns, the report identifies consistent pathways linking childhood adversity, exposure to violence, and lack of early intervention to future system involvement. It highlights critical gaps in institutional response and outlines the need for trauma-informed practices, early intervention, and coordinated systems to reduce recidivism and disrupt the trauma-to-prison pipeline.
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This report provides a comprehensive analysis of gun violence across Michigan, with a focused examination of its intersection with domestic violence, youth impact, and community-level risk. It challenges isolated interpretations of gun-related incidents by identifying broader patterns of access, escalation, and systemic gaps that contribute to both fatal and non-fatal outcomes.
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Through data analysis and research, the report demonstrates that firearm access significantly amplifies the severity and lethality of violence, particularly in domestic contexts. It highlights critical failures in prevention and enforcement while outlining the need for coordinated, data-driven strategies that address root causes, reduce risk, and strengthen community and system responses to gun violence.
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