Structural Intersectionality, Protection Orders, and Survivor Vulnerabilities

• In Event: Improving Domestic Violence Civil Protection Orders: Results from Projects in Four States

Abstract

This presentation is a chapter from a book on structural intersectionality as a method to study protection orders and inequality. I focus here on the increased vulnerabilities that survivors face in filing for protection orders, including (1) additional risk of re-abuse, (2) referrals to associated agencies, such as CPS and ICE, and (3) state violence like arrest, abuse by police, or even death. I analyze data from 80 interviews with judges, court staff, police, advocates, and petitioners and find that the vulnerabilities associated with protection orders lead to the replication of broader structural inequalities. The results are discussed in light of recent policy changes and court cases, including Rahimi.

Author

• Alesha Durfee, Saint Louis University