Victim's Perceptions of Injunctions in Domestic Violence Cases

As domestic violence becomes increasingly recognized a widespread social problem, judicial system has begun playing larger roles in providing legal protection to these victims. One way they are doing this in the United States is through the use of protective restraining orders or injunctions. The purpose of this research was to determine if permanent Injunctions for Protection provide victims of Domestic Violence with a sense of security in alleviating fear of retaliation or on-going violence. A total of 196 permanent injunctions for protection against domestic violence were obtained by victims residing within the City of Lakeland Florida. The survey consisted of telephone interviews with 51 domestic violence victims whom were selected randomly. About eighty six percent of victims reported feeling safe, 90% said they felt better emotionally and 86.36% indicated that their life had improved after the injunction was ordered. The respondents of the interviews felt that the permanent injunctions were beneficial to their feelings of safety and general well being, as well as being worthwhile.