Personalized Safety Plan
Orders of Protection and Injunctions are designed to prevent violence in cases where there is a threat of violence or there has been past violence. Unfortunately, the majority of these court orders are issued against spouses or significant others (usually husbands or boyfriends, but, in some cases, wives or girlfriends). Basically, Orders of Protection order the abuser to STAY AWAY and not have contact except through the court process. a Petition for an Order of Protection may be filed at the Oro Valley Magistrate Court Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After hours by calling 911 and requesting police assistance. The law enforcement officer can contact the on-call judge by telephone and as Emergency Order of Protection can be issued, which expires at 5:00 p.m. on the next business day. Plaintiff should call first to determine if there is a judge available. If not you will be directed to the nearest court.
Progression of Violence
- Pre-battering violence: verbal abuse, hitting objects, throwing objects, breaking objects, and making threats. When abusers hit or break objects or make threats, almost 100% resort to battering.
- Beginning levels: pushing, grabbing, restraining (This is a violation of the domestic violence law).
- Moderate levels : slapping, pinching, kicking, pulling out clumps of hair. (This is a violation of the domestic violence law).
- Severe levels : choking, beating with objects (sticks, ball bats, bed slats, etc...), use of weapons, and rape. (This is a violation of the domestic violence law, even if the parties are legally married and living together).
One in three women in a battering relationship is raped. There are two kinds of rape in domestic violence--one, with weapons; and two, she submits out of fear that if she were to say "No" he would get angry and beat her.
Separation Violence
Many, perhaps most, people believe that battered women will be safe once they separate from the batterer. They also believe that women are free to leave abusers at any time. However, leaving does not usually put an end to the violence. Batterers may, in fact, escalate their violence to coerce a battered woman into reconciliation or to retaliate for the battered woman's perceived rejection or abandonment of the batterer. Men, who believe they are entitled to a relationship with battered women or that they "own" their female partner, view women's departure as an ultimate betrayal which justifies retaliation.
Because leaving may be dangerous--dangerous from the point that the batterer learns that the relationship may end though several years after separation--does not mean that the battered woman should stay. Cohabiting with the batterer is highly dangerous both as violence usually increased in frequency and severity over time and as a batterer may engage in preemptive strikes, fearing abandonment or anticipating separation even before the battered woman reaches such a decision. Although leaving may pose additional hazards, at least in the short run, the research data and our experiences indicate that ultimately a battered woman can best achieve safety and freedom apart from the batterer. Leaving will require strategic planning and legal intervention to avert separation violence and to safeguard victims and their children.
Simply leaving or obtaining an Order of Protection may not be enough. You should have thought about your own situation and have a plan to help enc\sure your safety and that of any children. This is called a "Personal Safety Plan" and the following section is "an outline" for an example of a Personal Safety Plan.
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Personalized Safety Plan
Name:_______________________ Date:___________
Complaint #:___________ Officer: Net______________
The following steps represent my plan for increasing my safety and preparing in advance for the possibility for further violence. Although I do not have control over my partner's violence, I do have a choice about how to respond to him/her and how to best get myself and my children to safety.
Step 1: Safety during a violent incident. Women cannot always avoid violent incidents. In order to increase safety, battered women may use a variety of strategies. I can use some or all of the following strategies:
A. If I decide to leave, I will ___________________. (Practice how to get out safely. What doors, windows, elevators, stairwells or fire escapes would you use?)
B. I can keep my purse and car keys ready and put them (place) __________________ in order to leave quickly.
C. I can tell _____________________about the violence and request they call the police if they hear suspicious noises coming from my house.
D. I can teach my children how to use the telephone to contact the police and the fire department.
E. I will use _______________________ as my code for my children or my friends so they can call for help.
F. If I have to leave my home, I will go _____________________ (Decide this even if you don't think there will be a next time).
If I cannot go to the location above, then I can go to_________ __________________or ______________________________.
G. I can also teach some of these strategies to some/all my children.
H. When I expect we are going to have an argument, I will try to move to a space that is lowest risk, such as ____________ ____________________. (Try to avoid arguments in the bathroom, garage, kitchen, near weapons or in rooms without access to an outside door).
I. I will use my judgment and intuition. If the situation is very serious, I can give my partner what he/she wants to calm him/her down. I have to protect myself until I/we are out of danger.
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Step 2: Safety when preparing to leave. Battered women frequently leave the residence they share with the battering partner. Leaving must be done with a careful plan in order to increase safety. An order of protection can require that the batterer be the one to leave.
I can use some or all the following safety strategies:
A. I will leave money and an extra set of keys with _____________ so that I can leave quickly.
B. I will keep copies of important documents or keys at _______________________.
C. I will open a savings account by ______________, to increase my independence.
D. Other things I can do to increase my independence include:
E. The domestic violence program's hot line number is 323-9373 and I can seek shelter by calling this hot line.
F. I can keep change for phone calls on me at all times. I under stand that if I use my telephone credit card, the following month the telephone bill will tell my batterer those numbers that I called after I left. To keep my telephone communications confidential, I must either use coins or I might get a friend to permit me to use their telephone credit card for a limited time when I first leave.
G. I will check with ____________________ and _____________ to see who would be able to let me stay with them or lend me some money.
H. I can leave extra clothes with _________________________.
I. I will sit down and review my safety plan every ______________ in order to plan the safest way to leave the residence. _____________ (domestic violence advocate or friend) has agreed to help me review this plan.
J. I will rehearse my escape plan and, as appropriate, practice it with my children.
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Step 3: Safety in my own residence. There are many things that a woman can do to increase her safety in her own residence. It may be impossible to do everything at once, but safety measures can be added step by step.
Safety measures I can use include:
A. I can change the locks on my doors and windows as soon as possible.
B. I can replace wooden doors with steel/metal doors.
C. I can install security systems including additional locks, window bars, poles to wedge against doors, an electronic system with panic button, etc.
D. I can purchase rope ladders to be used for escape from second floor windows.
E. I can install smoke detectors and purchase fire extinguishers for each floor in my house/apartment.
F. I can install an outside lighting system that lights up when a person is coming close to my house.
G. I will teach my children how to use the telephone to make a collect call to me and to _______________(friend/minister/ other) in the event that my partner takes the children.
H. I will tell people who take care of my children which people have permission to pick up my children and that my partner is not permitted to do so. The people I will inform about pick-up permission include:
__________________________________________(school),
________________________________________(day care staff),
________________________________________(babysitter),
________________________________________(teacher),
________________________________________(teacher),
________________________________________(and),
________________________________________(others),
I. I can inform ______________________________(neighbors),
_______________________________________(pastor), and,
_______________________________________(friend) that my partner no longer resides with me and they should call the police if he is observed near my residence.
I can find out my risks with Rate Your Risk Tests.
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Step 4: Safety with an Order of Protection. Many batterers obey protection orders, but one can never be sure which violent partner will obey and which will violate protection orders. I recognize that I may need to ask the police and the court to enforce my protection order.
The following are some steps that I can take to help the enforcement of my protection order:
A. I will keep my protection order _________________(location) (Always keep it on or near your person. If you change purses, that's the first thing that should go in).
B. I will give my protection order to police departments in the communities where I usually visit family or friends, andin the community where I live.
C. I will inform my employer, my minister, my closest friend and _____________ and ____________that I have a protection order in effect.
D. If my partner destroys my protection order, I can get another copy from the Oro Valley Magistrate Court by going to the front window at the court building located at 11000 N. La Canada Drive.
E. If my partner violates the protection order, I can call the police and report a violation, contact my attorney, call my advocate, and/or advise the court of the violation.
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Step 5: Safety on the job and in public. Each battered woman must decide if and when she will tell others that her partner has battered her and that she may be at continued risk. Friends, family and co-workers can help to protect women. Each woman should consider carefully which people to invite to help secure her safety.
I might do any or all of the following:
A. I can inform my boss, the security supervisor and ___________ at work of my situation.
B. I can ask ________________ to help screen my telephone calls at work.
C. When leaving work, I can ______________________________ _________________________________________________.
D. When driving home if problems occur, I can ________________ _________________________________________________.
E. If I use public transit, I can ______________________________ _________________________________________________.
F. I will go to different grocery stores and shopping malls to conduct my business and shop at hours that are different than those when residing with my battered partner.
G. I can use a different bank and take care of my banking at hours different from those I used when residing with my battered partner.
H. I can also __________________________________________.
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Step 6: Safety and drug or alcohol use. Most people in this culture use alcohol. Many use mood-altering drugs. Much of this use is legal and some is not. The legal outcomes of using illegal drugs can be very hard on a battered woman, may hurt her relationship with her children and put her at a disadvantage in other legal actions with her battering partner. Therefore, women should carefully consider the potential cost of the use of illegal drugs. But beyond this, the use of any alcohol or other drug can reduce a woman's awareness and ability to act quickly to protect herself from her battering partner. Furthermore, the use of alcohol or other drugs by the batterer may give him/her an excuse to use violence. Therefore, in the context of drug or alcohol use, a woman needs to make specific safety plans. If drug or alcohol use has occurred in my relationship with the battering partner, I can enhance my safety by some or all of the following:
A. If I am going to use, I can do so in a safe place and with people who understand the risk of violence and are committed to my safety.
B. I can also ___________________________________________.
C. If my partner is using, I can _____________________________.
D. I might also _________________________________________.
E. To safeguard my children, I might ________________________ and ______________________________________________.
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Step 7: Safety and my emotional health. The experience of being battered and verbally degraded by partners is usually exhausting and emotionally draining. The process of building a new life for myself takes much courage and incredible energy.
To conserve my emotional energy and resources and to avoid hard emotional times, I can do some of the following:
A. If I feel down and ready to return to a potentially abusive situation, I can _____________________________________________.
B. When I have to communicate with my partner in person or by telephone, I can ____________________________________.
C. I can try to use "I can . . . " statements with myself and to be assertive with others.
D. I can tell myself - "_____________________________________ ______________________________" whenever I feel others are trying to control or abuse me.
E. I can read ____________________________to help me feel stronger.
F. I can call ___________________, ___________________ and _________________as other resources to be of support to me.
G. Other things I can do to help me feel stronger are ____________ ______________, and _______________________________.
H. I can attend workshops and support groups at the domestic violence program or _________________________, or _____ _______________to gain support and strengthen my relation-ship with other people.
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Step 8: Items to take when leaving. When women leave partners, it is important to take certain items with them. Beyond this, women sometimes give an extra copy of papers and an extra set of clothing to a friend just in case they have to leave quickly.
Money : Even if I have never worked, I can legally take 1/2 of the funds in the checking and savings accounts as Arizona is a community property state. If I don't take any money from the accounts, he can legally take all money and/or close the account and I may not get my share until the court rules on it. Items with asterisks on the following list are the most important to take. If there is time, the other items might be taken, or stored outside the home. These items might be placed in one location, so that if we have to leave in a hurry, I can grab them quickly. When I leave, I should have:
- Identification for myself
- Children's birth certificate
- My birth certificate
- Social security cards
- School and vaccination records
- Money
- Checkbook, ATM (Automatic Tellers Machine) card
- Credit cards
- Keys - house/car/office
- Driver's license and registration
- Medication
- Welfare identification, work permits, Green card
- Passport(s), Divorce papers
- Medical records - for all family members
- Lease/rental agreement, house deed, mortgage payment book
- Bank books, Insurance papers
- Small saleable objects (CDs, for example)
- Address book
- Pictures, jewelry
- Children's favorite toys and/or blankets
- Items of special sentimental value
Telephone numbers I need to know:
Police department - home - 911
Oro Valley Magistrate Court - 229-4780
Pima Count Justice Court - 740-3384
Sahuarita City Court - 334-7150
Tucson Cit Court - 791-4971
County registry of protection orders ______________________
Work number________________________________________
Supervisor's home number_____________________________
Minister____________________________________________
Other______________________________________________
I will keep this document in a safe place and out of the reach of my potential attacker.
Review date:_________________________
IF YOU NEED HELP IN FILLING OUT THIS PLAN YOU MAY ASK ORO VALLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS, COUNSELORS, BREWSTER CENTER SHELTER WORKERS, TUCSON RAPE CRISIS CENTER, OR A CLOSE AND TRUSTED FRIEND.
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