Legal Mobilization and Intimate Partner Victimization

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

One increasingly important resource for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence civil protection orders. Using theories of legal mobilization and legal consciousness to guide our analysis, this project is designed to better understand why some victims mobilize the civil court system as a resource by filing for protection orders and, conversely, why some victims do not. Through the use of both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) methods, this study focuses on how victims conceptualize the role of the legal system in regard to the abuse they have experienced, who chooses to use protection orders, why they are used, the perceived costs and benefits of protection orders for victims, and the individual and structural barriers that prevent victims from filing for or receiving orders. The results of this study will address several gaps in the literature on legal mobilization, legal consciousness, help-seeking behaviors of victims of IPV, and inequalities in access to justice. Much previous research in this area derives samples from victims who have already sought legal interventions and, therefore, cannot address why victims do not ask for help from the legal system. Our sample includes victims who have not filed for protection orders, allowing us to better understand the decision to not file for a protection order. The findings from this project can be used to determine unmet legal needs and barriers to accessing the civil courts, as well as the development of best practice models that can be adopted by policymakers, court personnel, legal advocates, and shelters to facilitate victim access to protection orders. This research will also help in the refinement of coordinated community responses to IPV. Finally, results of the research will be used to identify underserved populations who may need culturally appropriate outreach services to address many of the perceived costs of obtaining protection orders.