Stopping Domestic Violence in Prince George's County

Prince George's county is the richest community in America that is mostly black. In addition to being known for wealth, however, the county is also known for its record of domestic violence. In 2001, Prince George's county accounted for more than 20 percent of deaths caused by domestic violence in the state. Since 2001, 48 people have died from domestic abuse in the county. Only Baltimore County has had more.

Given this, one would think that Maryland's court system would be quick to offer orders to protect victims of domestic violence. The statistics show otherwise. In 2005, only 61 percent of the final protective orders that were applied for in Prince George's County were granted by the courts. This number is higher than in many other counties; in Charles County, for example, only 29 percent of the orders applied for were granted. Still, not enough is done by the courts to protect the large number of battered women in the county.

There are two types of Final Protective Orders: a protective order and a peace order. The stronger of the two types is the protective order, which, in addition to requiring the abuser to terminate contact with the victim, gives the victim temporary possession of the home and temporarily takes child custody away from the abuser. A peace order is not as strong, but unlike the protective order, it requires that the petitioner show that the act occurred and is likely to occur again. Unfortunately, there are many situations in which a petitioner may only apply for a peace order, not a protective order, and it is not encouraging that the peace order is more difficult to attain and does not protect as well.