| Protection orders are important resources for victims of domestic violence, yet the increasing number of people filing for orders has overwhelmed the resources of an already strained justice system. Over the past 30 years, the protection order process has become highly bureaucratized. Although extensive policies and procedures were adopted to ensure that all victims are able to obtain legal protections, the level of regulation has had the unintended effect of creating structural barriers to orders. These structural barriers create problems of access that are differentially distributed across social groups.; Quantitative analyses with data from the Judicial Information System and the Protection Order Advocacy Program indicate that in King County, Washington, Asian victims are more likely and African-American victims are more likely than white victims to have their requests for protection orders granted. Women are more likely to receive a protection order than men; however, given national victimization rates, fewer women file for orders than what one would expect given the demographics of King County. Finally, in cases where the abuser is represented by an attorney, commissioners are more likely to deny the petition, regardless of whether the victim has legal representation.; Qualitative analyses of the narratives submitted by victims filing for protection orders indicate that variations in protection order hearing outcomes between men and women, as well as between different racial and ethnic groups, are attributable to differences in the use of legal assistance. Petitions prepared with a lawyer are more likely to result in the entry of an order as they are more likely to be consistent with other legal discourses. As rates of legal assistance vary by gender, income, race, and nativity, broader social inequalities are reflected in the distribution of hearing outcomes. |
