Domestic Violence Restraining Order

This is a term widely used in other jurisdictions for what Arizona calls an “Order of Protection.” A protective order’s purpose is to prevent further domestic violence. To get an Order of Protection, the defendant and the protected party must have one of the relationships listed in ARS 13-3601(A) (these mostly define different familial or intimate relationships) and the defendant must have committed one of the crimes that are considered domestic violence–these range from harassment to murder. Though called “crimes,” there do not need to be actual charges or even a police report in order to seek an Order of Protection. In fact, a protective order may be based on the Court finding the defendant is likely to commit an act of domestic violence within the next year. The most common crimes that give rise to an order of protection are harassment, threats, stalking, assault, and trespassing.