Survivor-defined practices to mitigate revictimization of battered women in the protective order process

A growing body of research finds that instead of a one-size-fits-all response, community-based responses that include survivor-defined advocacy may prevent further abuse through customized, individualized safety planning and provision of resources. Extant literature related to survivor-defined approaches highlights outcomes, but the work illustrating specifically how these practices work in applied settings is limited. Drawing from interviews with 26 domestic violence victim advocates, the author examines how advocates mitigate revictimization of battered women through survivor-defined practices in the protective order process to provide additional context for this emerging body of work. Findings illustrate that the effectiveness and benefits that an order of protection offered varied from case to case; consequently advocates used survivor-defined approaches to address the specific needs of each woman to better ensure safety.