Domestic violence can come in a variety of ways and be manifest in a variety of relationships. For example, a husband abusing his wife, a father abusing his son or even a girlfriend abusing her boyfriend. In each of these situations, the victim may be able to secure a protective order against the perpetrator of the abuse in Tennessee if they are prompt and thorough in seeking help.
A protective order is designed to put some parameters in place regarding the type of contact that is and is not acceptable between two parties if there has been a history of abuse, assault or harassment. When sought in a timely manner and honored by both parties, a protective order has the potential to prevent further abuse and maintain peace between people.
According to the Tennessee State of Courts, the duration that a protective order will last for will vary depending on the situation under which it was issued. However, victims do have the option in some circumstances, to extend the terms of the protective order they have sought. All modifications to the original summons will be recorded in a system that will maintain all of the details about their case.
LiveAbout reminds people of the importance of honoring the terms of their protective order if they wish for it to reach maximum effectiveness. For example, if a victim begins to notice that their perpetrator is breaching their end of the agreement by stalking or trying to contact them, they should immediately report the behavior to authorities. People who disregard such behavior as not being threatening, even when it is going against the terms laid out by the protective order, may have a more difficult time proving their case if something more serious does happen and they try to disclose previous incidents to authorities that were not reported.
