Understanding the Civil Protection Order Process: The Relationship Between Self-Help, the Court System, and Experiential Knowledge

• In Event: Victimization, Protection, and Prevention

Abstract

Recently, civil protection orders (PO) have been touted as a common legal initiative to help alleviate intimate partner violence. Previous quantitative and evaluative research on the overall effectiveness of POs presents mixed results and qualitative projects are rare. Here, we present preliminary findings of an institutional ethnography that critically analyzes the civil protection order process for self-represented litigants (SRLs). Observation sites include self-help centers assisting SRLs with PO applications and paperwork, court rooms where SRLs requests for POs are heard, as well as textual analyses of tracking forms and official court filings. Analysis of qualitative data will highlight a disjuncture between experiential knowledge (what has happened to the SRLs) and what becomes known throughout the process thus formally (legally) documented. Findings suggest that the justice system is unprepared to serve victimized SRLs with diverse needs. Further research is required as well as appropriate training for court practitioners.

Authors

• Emily Troshynski, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Elizabeth MacDowell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Dory Mizrachi, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Amy Magnus, University of California, Irvine