What is a civil order of protection and how is it obtained?
A civil order of protection is a legally binding court order. Its intent is to compel an individual, who has committed a violent act, to refrain from further acts of violence against the person who has been granted the order. A victim of domestic violence obtains a protection order by completing an application wherein he/she describes the violence from which relief is sought and identifies the perpetrator. The order is granted to a victim by a judge or commissioner. A temporary protection order, if granted, covers a 2-week time period after which a court hearing determines if the petitioner will be awarded a “permanent” protection order (i.e., lasts a year or longer). The perpetrator is informed of the victim’s complaint, the behaviors prohibited by the protection order, and when the court will hear arguments for a permanent order of protection. How was this study conducted? The authors of this study looked at all reports to the Seattle, WA, Police Department from August 1998 through D
