Civil Protection Orders and Weapon Use in South Carolina

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

Abstract

Civil protection orders (CPOs) are intended to provide safety for victims of domestic violence by limiting contact from their abusive partners and resolving issues such as custody and access to property. CPOs are a widely used tool in all states, yet few studies have delved into who seeks them, what types of abuse are alleged, what remedies are sought, and how cases resolve. To answer these questions, this study collected virtually all CPOs (3,451) that were filed in South Carolina in 2019. The purpose of this paper is to examine weapon use, as documented by the CPOs, and relationships between use of weapons and other case factors. In nearly one in five CPOs, the respondent was alleged to have used a weapon. More than half of these were firearms. Weapon use in domestic violence, especially firearms, greatly increases risk of severe injury and death. We will examine questions such as: 1) Do cases in which weapons were used have more severe types of abuse? 2) Are there patterns in types of relationships between parties for cases involving weapons vs. those that do not? 3) Are there associations between weapons reports and remedies requested by petitioner? 4) In cases in which weapons are used, are petitioners more likely to request an emergency hearing? 5) Are there differences in case outcomes for cases involving weapons vs. those that do not.

Authors

• Suzanne Swan, University of South Carolina

• Lisa Martin, University of South Carolina