Criminal Protective Orders as a Critical Strategy To Reduce Domestic Violence, Final Summary Overview

• NCJ Number: 250664
• Author(s): Tami P. Sullivan; Carolina E. Price; Nicole H. Weiss; Nicole E. Pugh
• Date Published: March 2017
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-IJ-CX-0045
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation; Grants and Funding

Annotation

This report summarizes the methodology and findings of an examination of Connecticut's policies and practices regarding criminal protective orders used to address domestic violence (DV).

Abstract

The study had the following four objectives: 1) explain the process of criminal protection orders as a critical strategy in reducing DV; 2) expand knowledge about how criminal protection orders influence the daily lives of women and children in terms of offender behavior; 3) disseminate findings to practitioners, policymakers, and academics to inform practice, policy, and future research; and 4) document the relevant accounts of the collaboration, in order to inform best practices so that future collaborations can lead to better policy, practice, and research. Data were obtained from self-reports of 298 female DV victims in semi-structured, retrospective interviews and also from State criminal justice records. Six findings are reported. First, criminal protection orders were issued in all cases. Second, victims no longer in the relationship at the second interview experienced higher levels of DV and had expressed greater fear at the first interview. Third, women who called the police themselves reported more positive experiences with the court process. Fourth, women who requested a criminal protection order reported greater fear of their partner related to the court process compared to those who had an unrequested criminal protection order issued by a court. Fifth, women's experiences with the court process were associated with their DV victimization reported in the second interview. Sixth, most women would use criminal justice system resources in the future. Each of these findings is discussed. 13 references