Domestic Violence Assault & Spousal Abuse

Domestic Violence (DV) is a collection of conduct and charges committed by one family member or spouse against another. To be considered Domestic Violence as opposed to a typical assault and battery, those involved must be living in the same home at the time of the offense. Often times, the penalties for domestic violence are harsher than would be normal for a standard assault and battery. Domestic Violence offenses can often lead to jail time and a temporary or permanant loss of parental rights.

When called to the scene (normally a residence) of a domestic violence dispute, officers are often forced to form quick judgments based on little evidence. In recent years, there has been an increase in 'Revenge Domestic Violence' reports, where a husband or wife claims domestic violence in retaliation to a verbal arguement, disagreement, or recently discovered infidelity. Much too often, those individuals seek to use the law for thier own gains, withouth a care as to who gets hurt in the process.

Domestic violence can include such charges as:

• Assault & Battery
• Aggravated Assault
• False Imprisonment or in the rare cases, Kidnapping
• Violation of Court Ordered Domestic Violence Injunction

Restraining Orders and Court Ordered Injunctions
Typically in a Domestic Violence case, the alleged victim, though the District Attorney, will ask for a court ordered injunction or restraining order to place restrictions on contact between the accused and other members of the family. The Protective Orders can vary, ranging from no contact with the alleged victim (meaning the accused must find an alternate place to live until the case is resolved) to loss of temporary child custody. A violation of a Court Ordered Protective Order may result in criminal charges filed against you in addition to the Domestic Violence case.

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