Factors Influencing the Use of Domestic Violence Restraining Orders in Los Angeles

Nilpa D Shah; Grace Nguyen; Jennifer A Wagman; Deborah C Glik

doi:10.1177/10778012221120442

Factors Influencing the Use of Domestic Violence Restraining Orders in Los Angeles

Violence Against Women. 2023 Jul;29(9):1604-1622. doi: 10.1177/10778012221120442. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

Authors

Nilpa D Shah¹, Grace Nguyen², Jennifer A Wagman¹, Deborah C Glik¹

Affiliations

¹ UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² UCLA College of Life Sciences, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

Domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs), although a widely used legal intervention in preventing future risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), there is a lack of documentation on the facilitators and barriers of utilization of DVROs among IPV survivors in Los Angeles County (LAC). We conducted 19 key informant interviews with various professionals working in domestic violence prevention in LAC. Factors such as survivors' motivation, ease of navigating the legal procedures, and availability of community resources facilitate the use of DVROs. Fear, ambivalence, structural barriers to access DVROs, and issues with the criminal justice system make it harder for survivors to obtain DVROs.

Keywords: domestic violence; domestic violence restraining order; intimate partner violence; policy; protection orders.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Domestic Violence* / prevention & control
Humans
Intimate Partner Violence* / prevention & control
Los Angeles
Survivors