Tuesday, April 3, 2007

DV Protection Orders Aren't Magic

Yesterday's fatal shooting of a staff person on the UW campus prompted a story about the limits of domestic violence protection orders: Protection order can't stop person hellbent on doing harm, Seattle Times, April 3, 2007. They are supposed to protect a victim from her (or sometimes his) abuser, but the fact is:

There's no piece of paper strong enough to stop a person with a gun, an obsession and nothing left to lose, domestic-violence experts say.
About five years ago, the legislature changed the offense of violating a DV order from a gross misdemeanor to a felony, increasing the penalties.

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