If you have been involved in a domestic altercation or a situation of domestic violence and you or another person called the police, it is likely that you, as the allegedly abused person, were granted an immediate order of protection. If this was the case, you might be concerned about making sure that this order of protection is extended to protect you from abuse for the foreseeable future.
In the state of New Jersey in 2014, more than 26,000 temporary restraining orders were issued, and a strong percentage of these were upheld to be more permanent arrangements. If you would like to be protected by a restraining order in the state of New Jersey, it is important that you understand how the law works around this issue.
How is a protection order different from an emergency protection order?
An emergency protection order is issued very shortly after a domestic incident has taken place. At this point, the authorities are likely to have a good idea of who the abuser was, and they will demand that he or she leaves the scene. They will then issue an emergency protection order to prevent further retaliatory abuse.
A protection order, however, is something that is more formally arranged by the courts, rather than as an immediate preventive measure. This means that the victim will be protected from abuse typically for between one and three years.
What are the differing types of protections?
The protection order terms will be decided as appropriate, based upon the specific situation. The victim may be given an order of protection from abusive contact, meaning that it would be illegal for their abuser to send text messages or call. Alternatively, there might be a peaceful contact provision put in place, meaning that the two individuals can lawfully have contact, for example, in order to coparent. However, any contact that they have must be peaceful and respectful.
If you have been a victim of abuse in New Jersey and would like to put provisions in place to protect yourself as well as your loved ones, it is important to know that the law is on your side.