2025 CWM Staggered Exit Report
Protective orders that prohibit domestic abusers from having contact with their victims
are central to legal avenues to reduce domestic violence. But hearings involving
domestic violence have “one of the highest, if not the highest” potential for violence in
the courthouse, according to a joint report from the National Center for State Courts
and Center for Court Innovation (2020). In these emotionally charged hearings, the risk
of intimidation, threats or physical assault is not limited to the parties, but presents a
safety risk for anyone present in the courtroom or in the hallways, regardless of whether
a protective order is granted or not.