Sometimes it’s necessary for a domestic violence victim to obtain an order of protection against the perpetrator. The order of protection is a judge issued order that is intended to help protect victims from further violence. These orders will generally contain conditions set forth by a judge. They can be anything from a complete “no contact” order to an order that will allow contact under certain circumstances. In coordination with domestic violence laws, sometimes an order of protection becomes a necessity.
An order of protection does not necessarily guarantee that the perpetrator will not subject you to further abuse. When an order of protection is in place, it alerts authorities that your calls could be serious. Police officers are more likely to take you serious if they know you have an order of protection against the perpetrator.
If the order of protection is violated by the perpetrator, they will most likely be arrested. With domestic violence on the rise, judges will sometimes not allow a bond to be set for those that violate these orders.
When you get a chance to speak with the judge about your situation, you will need to completely honest with them. If you feel you are in imminent danger of abuse, this needs to be communicated to the judge. This is the only way the law can protect you from further harm.
If the domestic violence is a result of a relationship gone bad, the perpetrator most often tries to make amends. This puts the victim in a volatile situation because many times they will forgive the perpetrator and drop their order of protection. This is where the domestic violence may cease for a while, but oftentimes, it will start all over again. It’s best to keep an order of protection in place if you are a victim of domestic violence. The abusive person will generally not halt the abuse unless they are stopped by outside sources.
A Domestic Violence Attorney Grand Rapids MI can help domestic violence victims when hired to handle the case. They can also help decode the domestic violence laws for you. This will help enable you to get the protection you need to the fullest extent provided by MI law.
