title: Civil protective order effectiveness: justice or just a piece of paper?
abstract: Many victims, victim advocates, and even law enforcement believe that protective orders are "just a piece of paper," suggesting that they do not work or are not effective. This study examined protective order effectiveness by following 210 women for 6 months after obtaining a protective order. There are four main themes that were identified from the study results. First, protective orders were not violated for half of the women in the sample during the 6-month follow-up period. Second, even among those who experienced violations, there were significant reductions in abuse and violence. Third, overall, women were less fearful of future harm from the PO partner at the 6-month follow-up, and a vast majority felt the protective order was fairly or extremely effective. Fourth, stalking emerges as a significant risk factor for protective order violations, sustained fear, and lower perceived effectiveness of the protective order. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40504, USA. tklogan@uky.edu
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018585:Battered Women / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D055815:Young Adult