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Protection Orders: Shielding Intimate Partner Violence Victims from Harm

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Civil protection orders (POs) are the most utilized form of relief for intimate partner violence (IPV) victims that prohibit the abuser from having further contact with the victim for purposes of increased safety. This chapter examines how feminists and battered women’s advocates worked to establish this form of intervention and uses a feminist lens to explore the ways in which POs allow abused women to control the processing of their IPV cases when compared to mandatory criminal justice interventions. As part of the civil system, POs require the victim to seek the order from a judge. Some jurisdictions’ criminal courts issue no-contact orders. This chapter will discuss the difference between the civil and criminal PO systems. It will also explore eligibility criteria across states for POs. For example, eligibility criteria may include intimate, dating, and/or same-sex partners. The chapter will also examine the administrative process victims are subject to when filing for a PO. Some states include provisions in their PO statutes that require or allow the court to assist victims with filing required PO paperwork. Assistance could play a crucial role in this process when victims are still in crisis. Additionally, many victims stay in their violent relationships due to financial dependency. Also discussed are POs that provide support for victims while the order is in place, such as housing, financial, and child support.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Shannon B. Harper

  2. School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Angela R. Gover

  3. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA

    Tara N. Richards

Authors
  1. Shannon B. Harper
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  2. Angela R. Gover
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  3. Tara N. Richards
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela R. Gover .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney

  2. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  3. University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

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Harper, S.B., Gover, A.R., Richards, T.N. (2021). Protection Orders: Shielding Intimate Partner Violence Victims from Harm. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_143-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_143-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Protection Orders: Shielding Intimate Partner Violence Victims from Harm
    Published:
    29 December 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_143-2

  2. Original

    Protection Orders: Shielding IPV Victims from Harm
    Published:
    04 December 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_143-1

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