Protective orders in domestic violence cases in a mid‐western county

Abstract

The study reviewed ninety violations of orders of protections in a Mid‐western county from November 1999 through May 2000. Demographic profiles of offenders and victims, prior criminal histories, severity of prior dispositions, victim/offender relationships, and the nature of current violations and dispositions were examined. The study also examined the relationship between prior criminal charges and current offenses. The results show that there was no relationship between the type of prior charges and the nature of current offense, indicating that the nature of prior offenses does not predict whether a person will commit domestic violence or violate orders of protection. Severity of prior disposition, especially prior prison sentence, did not predict the type of reoffense committed. Some form of court supervision with a jail sentence seemed to be a viable alternative for first‐time domestic violent offenders.