Snapshot of Domestic Violence Protective Orders in Maryland during COVID-19
This informational report provides a brief summary of the number of Protective Orders granted in 2019
and 2020, at the height of COVID-19. It demonstrates that during court closures, while their numbers
were much reduced, there were temporary, and some final protective orders granted using both
commissioners’ offices and virtual options. To their credit, when courts re-opened with limited capacity
in June of 2020, they issued a typical pre-COVID number of final orders.
What does strangulation in Montgomery County look like? An analysis of strangulation in protective order hearings in Montgomery County, Maryland
In 2020 the Maryland General Assembly updgraded strangulation and intentional suffocation from a
second degree assault to first degree felony assault, indicating the seriousness of this crime. This report
discusses this complicated issue in inter partner violence cases, noting the difficulty of establishing
evidence of its occurrence. We examine the outcomes of 226 civil protective order cases in
Montgomery County between 2011 and 2019 where strangulation was alleged by the petitioner and
examine several variables, as well as reviewing the criminal and civil records of the abuser/respondents
to determine if they had prior records of inter partner violence.
Over 32,000 domestic violence 911 calls, but there’s still a lot we don’t know: An analysis of Montgomery County, Maryland 911 database
This report examines Montgomery County’s Data base of emergency police calls from 2017-2019 in an
effort to determine whether the 911 calls are appropriately flagged as inter partner violence related,
which would enable government and non-profit domestic violence agencies to identify areas in the
County where IPV is prevalent, establish the degree of violence, provide a baseline for studying trends.
The report finds the current 911 call coding system does not track the total number of emergency calls
related to IP, using non-specific codes that do not adequately describe the type of violence reported, as
well as discrepancies between what is reported by officers on the scene and the resultant coding.
Court Watch Montgomery announces leadership transition
President of the Court Watch Montgomery Board John Ford announced today that Laurie Duker, who co-founded Court Watch in 2010, will be stepping down as Executive Director and assisting with the transition to a new Executive Director over the next six months. “Although it was a very difficult decision to step down,” said Duker, “I’m […]
New laws take effect in Maryland today!
New laws take effect in Maryland today which were passed by the legislature in the winter/spring 2019 season in Annapolis. Many impact domestic violence victims: Firearms New firearms laws allow the prosecution of anyone loaning a gun to someone known to be legally barred from possessing them or when it is known the gun will […]
When courts are closed
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Upcoming domestic violence webinars
Two upcoming domestic violence webinars: Domestic violence and technology: New international research and resources for practice Wednesday, October 9, 2019 / 2:00-3:30pm CDT Content: Dr. Molly Dragiewicz and Dr. Bridget Harris will present recommendations for future research, policy and practice on technology and domestic violence based on the first Australian study focused on survivors’ experiences of technology-facilitated coercive […]
While we were sleeping
In case you missed this, (because we did), it’s important to note that the Trump Administration changed the definitions of domestic violence and sexual assault when no one was watching, in April or 2018. Although the Office of Violence Against Women is claiming the new definitions won’t affect what interventions they fund, the move is […]
Victim brain injury: new screening tools
Researchers now estimate that 90% of people with a history of interpersonal violence have signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury. These injuries, which often include depression, impaired problem-solving ability, and difficulty concentrating, all put victims at risk for continued abuse and can make it harder to leave abusive relationships. The treatment of brain-injured domestic […]
Kudos to the judge
Kudos to the judge at District Court who recently: Okayed a respondent’s request to go put money in his parking meter, saying, “Sure. I don’t want you to get a ticket. That’s $40.” In a separate case, expressed concern at the beginning of a hearing that the respondent had been speaking with the petitioner prior […]