title: Do protection orders protect?
abstract: Protection orders are widely used legal interventions intended to reduce the risk of future harm by one person considered to be a threat to another. However, there has been controversy about when and whether such orders are useful. This article is a review of empirical studies of outcomes associated with protection orders and factors associated with violations of the orders. Although protection orders are not a panacea, the results support that they can serve a useful role in threat management. We describe factors to consider before implementing a protection order.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, USA. christopher.benitez@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Benitez
authors.forename: Dale E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: McNiel
authors.forename: Renée L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Binder
mesh_terms: D036262:Empirical Research; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*