‘More than a piece of paper’ — Local advocates say protective orders are important deterrent

Local advocates say protective orders are effective at reducing domestic violence and other forms of interpersonal violence, saying that orders are a “really important piece to the puzzle” when safety planning with survivors.

A protective order is a civil order from a judge that tells the respondent — the person that the order is filed against — that he or she cannot, among other things, contact the petitioner or any member of their household, and not enter the petitioner’s property or abuse or harass the petitioner or members of their household, according to the Indiana University Mauer School of Law’s Protective Order Project.

A person who is found to have violated a protective order may be arrested for violating the order and possibly other crimes. Violators also may be found in contempt of court.

Protective orders allow police to intervene before violence happens, according to the Indiana University Mauer School of Law. There is no fee to file a petition for a protective order.

Requests for protective orders are common in Bartholomew County, public records show. A total of 516 petitions for protective orders were filed in Bartholomew County last year — more than one per day, local records show. A total of 446 petitions filed in the county last year were granted, according to an analysis of the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration’s Protection Order Registry.

“Across the board, protective orders do work,” said Carrie Kruse, vice president of direct services at Columbus-based Turning Point Domestic Violence Services. “They serve as a deterrent and also a message from the court that the behavior is not OK. Sometimes people may say it’s just a piece of paper … but when we look as a whole on effectiveness, they are a really important piece to the puzzle.”

Turning Point is a Columbus-based agency that seeks to prevent and eliminate domestic and dating violence and serves survivors of interpersonal violence in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Johnson and Shelby counties.

The agency, which has a full-time staff member at the Bartholomew County Courthouse, regularly helps domestic violence survivors request protective orders, Kruse said. Turning Point’s services are voluntary, confidential and free of charge.

People who are interesting in filing a petition for a protective order can pick up an application packet at the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office or file online, though Kruse urges people to contact Turning Point before filing, as “we are trained in the instructions and also are able to safety plan on a case-by-case situation in conjunction with the protective order filing.”

What is included on the petition is key, as that is what the judge is going to be reviewing, they said. And people who file petitions without the help of an attorney are held to the same criteria as those who have legal representation, Kruse said.

“Our advocates have ongoing training on protective order petitions,” Kruse said. “…If anyone is unclear on the instructions, we’re able to kind of sit with them and work out how to successfully complete that petition accurately.”

“It can be helpful to have the guidance of someone who has the training on the statutes and what a solid, complete petition looks like in filing,” Kruse added. “…The more support someone has in being able to tell their story, the more information the judge has to make the decision.”

Kruse, who said she has been working for Turning Point for 18 years, said most of the petitions for protective orders that Turning Point is involved with are granted.

However, if a protective order petition is denied, Turning Point generally will see if the petition could be refiled “because the statute does not limit or prohibit a refiling of the order” or potentially in another court.

“If there was information or evidence not entered in the case, we could look at refiling,” Kruse said. “People do have the option to appeal a decision and then we as advocates would be looking at doing the best safety planning that we can. That may include utilizing our emergency shelter until those steps could be taken and then, obviously, we recommend lots of additional safety planning. It may include cameras, safety planning with neighbors, being prepared and vigilant to leave, differing someone’s routes or routine, just a whole host of unique things that someone might be able to apply in their daily routine.”

“But at that point the order is denied, we are relying with our safety planning with that individual,” Kruse added.

Local advocates urge anyone who feels in danger to contact them to explore options — even when people fear they don’t have a strong case.

“Even if someone is doubting (whether they qualify for a protective order), if they are in fear, I would still encourage them to reach out to us because maybe they haven’t had access to the information on what meets criteria and what doesn’t. …Getting that third party, just objective support and guidance might result in a strong petition.”