An act of domestic violence in New Jersey occur every 7.29 minutes. The shocking statistics have prompted the government to take strict measures to protect the victims of domestic violence (Jose & Novaco, 2016). The various forms of domestic violence in New Jersey are not based on gender. One of the ways is implementing the temporary restraining order (TRO) and final restraining orders (FRO). The orders prohibit the interaction between the victim and the perpetrator of the violence. The TRO and FRO are not meant to punish the perpetrator but to provide security to the victim. When a court orders the defendant should not communicate or come into contact with the victim of violence, the orders should be respected until the case is heard and determined (Foshee et al., 2015). Once the defendant is served with a TRO, they will be required to avoid any communication or physical interaction with the victim. According to Foshee et al. (2015), if the defendant lives in the same locality with the victim, the defendant will be required to relocate until the case is determined.
A final restraining order is a replacement of the TRO. A final restraining order will be issued if the parties involved will present evidence of the domestic violence, the relationship of the parties and the need for restraint to prevent future acts of domestic violence (Jose & Novaco, 2016). When the judge is satisfied that the defendant and the victim had a relationship, the act of violence was experienced and there is a need for a restraint order, he or she will issue a final restraining order. The FRO may be issued to prohibit the defendant’s right to own a firearm, prevent future violence, provide an opportunity for counseling and prohibiting contact (Jose & Novaco, 2016). Additionally, the FRO may involve temporary custody of the minors, financial support and temporary possession of personal property. The focus of TRO and FRO is to protect the interest of the victims of domestic violence.
The final restraining order will remain effective until the court dissolves the order. The court will communicate with the plaintiff to determine if the FRO will be effective (Foshee et al., 2015). If the order is not required, the court will dismiss it. Once the FRO and the TRO order are issued, it would be a criminal offense to violate the orders. Violation of the orders will lead to the immediate arrest of the person violating the order. According to N.J.S.A. 2C:25-30 when a person violates the order, they will be jailed for 30 days (Foshee et al., 2015). The various forms of domestic violence include assault, sexual harassment, homicide, robbery, criminal coercion, and stalking. New Jersey has adopted the two orders to prevent the victims of domestic violence from increasing. A person who can file for the domestic violence case in court includes current or former spouse, current or former household member, a person who is dating the defendant and a person who has a child with the defendant.
Personal Values
The idea of implementing electronic monitoring systems to monitor the perpetrators is a great idea. However, the governor expressed concerns that the victims would not be fully protected. There is a possibility some would care less about their safety since they have been assured of the technological monitoring. I believe the policy is a great idea but it should be implemented in phases (Murshid et al., 2016). Once the government has determined that it is successful, they will be ready to commit the required finances to run it. The NASW Code of Ethics indicates that it is important to have competence. The policy should have the competence to protect the victims of domestic violence fully. The idea of implementing the technological monitoring systems should competently ensure the victims enjoy the best security. When the victims of domestic violence are protected, the rate of domestic violence cases would reduce (Murshid et al., 2016). I believe the commitment of the various stakeholders to resolve the issue. Domestic violence cases have led to death, serious injuries, trauma and other severe effects. It is important to ensure it is eliminated completely. Therefore, the ideas that would reduce the cases of domestic violence would be brilliant to make the society better.
It is important to have a technological solution to the problem of domestic violence. Various sectors such as money transfer and healthcare have experienced a transformation since the introduction of the technological solutions (Murshid et al., 2016). Therefore, it would be important to implement a technological solution to monitor all the perpetrators of the violence and report them promptly. The victims of domestic violence may be helpless at the time when the violence is happening. Therefore, they may not call the police immediately or alert other people in the neighborhood. However, the introduction of the technological monitoring systems would help the police to realize the cases of violence happening around them. The systems would provide real-time information on what is happening. Additionally, the perpetrators will fear to engage in any violence when they know they are being monitored. The perpetrators carry out repeat acts of domestic violence since they know they will deny the charges in court. A video footage would provide undisputable testimony in a court of law (Foshee et al., 2015). Competence is a social work code that relates to the discussion on the implementation of the technological systems meant to monitor the perpetrators of acts of domestic violence. The policy should be enhanced to ensure it is accepted by the government. The focus of the New Jersey government officials is to reduce the rate of domestic violence. Consequently, if the policy is enhanced, they will approve it promptly.
- Foshee, V. A., Benefield, T., Dixon, K. S., Chang, L. Y., Senkomago, V., Ennett, S. T., … & Bowling, J. M. (2015). The effects of moms and teens for safe dates: A dating abuse prevention program for adolescents exposed to domestic violence. Journal of youth and adolescence, 44(5), 995-1010.
- Jose, R., & Novaco, R. W. (2016). Intimate partner violence victims seeking a temporary restraining order: social support and resilience attenuating psychological distress. Journal of interpersonal violence, 31(20), 3352-3376.
- Murshid, N. S., Akincigil, A., & Zippay, A. (2016). Microfinance participation and domestic violence in America: results from a nationally representative survey. Journal of interpersonal violence, 31(9), 1579-1596.
