Trends in Domestic Violence Protective Order Administration: Potential Impacts on Victim Safety and Due Process

The major aim of this study is to examine the long-term trends in the court adjudication of civil protective orders, the impact of whether differential court order trajectories are associated with differential post- petition intimate partner violence (IPV) related recidivism and victim hospitalization and death, and whether changes in adjudication over time have resulted in greater adverse effects on IPV-related crime and victim health outcomes. This study is part of a longstanding collaborative effort between the study’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Mary Kernic, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office's Domestic Violence Unit. The study subjects include current or former intimate partners with civil domestic violence protective order (DVPOs) filings with the King County, Washington court system between July 1, 1997 and December 31, 2016. A retrospective cohort study will be conducted among current or former intimate partners with civil DVPOs filings. Study groups will be categorized by adjudication trajectory that will account for whether a full DVPO was issued and whether multiple filings of temporary orders were required by the court before a full order was issued or denied. Trend analyses will be conducted to determine if adjudication trajectories have become more constrained in the issuance of full orders and more burdensome and potentially unsafe by requiring multiple issuances of temporary orders. Study groups matched using propensity score techniques and multivariable Cox regression analyses will be conducted to assess whether different adjudication trajectories pose greater victim risk in terms of IPV recidivism, hospitalization and death. "Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14). ca/ncf.