Issued by courts every day in every corner of this country, restraining orders are handed out. A restraining order is issued if someone feels that they are in danger of being injured by another person. Most commonly, they are issued in cases of domestic abuse. The abuser isnt allowed to come whin a certain distance to the alleged victim or they can be arrested. Does a restraining order always work? Sadly enough, a restraining order cannot always work. It is a piece of paper and if someone is determined enough to make your life miserable, they will not acknowledge that piece of paper and go about with their plans. Most commonly though, a restraining order is respected and can act as a deterrent to the offender. People dont enjoy going to jail or paying fines, so theyll respect that piece of paper. Thats the goal of a restraining order to simply keep the people being threatened away from the threateners.
A restraining order isnt only seen in cases of domestic violence. If youre being harassed by someone, no matter who is, you can pursue and obtain an order. However, you need to be ready and willing to explain to a judge exactly why youre feeling intimidated or threatened by the individual. If verbal threats were made, mention them. If someone has been damaging your property or trespassing, bring the fact to the courts attention. The more ammunion that you have to show that you are in danger, the quicker a restraining order will be issued. Sometimes, is difficult to prove that you feel threatened. It may take a lot of convincing to get a judge to issue that famous piece of paper. There needs to be reasonable fear on the victims side. Simply being in the same place at the same time on a daily basis and convincing yourself that youre being stalked by that person just isnt enough of a reason to have a restraining order issued.
Once a restraining order is issued, someone from the sheriffs office or the court system will hand deliver the order to the offender. The moment that piece of paper is delivered, is effective. Should be violated at any time, the police should be called or notified immediately. Reporting the next day may be too late. And yes, if you violate the guidelines of a restraining order and are caught, you may be handcuffed and taken away to jail. You might remain in jail or end up with a court date and some hefty fines. Should the unthinkable happen and the person who is served the restraining order decides to still inflict harm on the victim, that piece of paper can become val when their day in court arrives. It just may be the best piece of evidence that the prosecution has against them.
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