SEE VIDEOS online at: courtswv.gov/public-resources/domestic/domestic-violence.html
Real life is rarely like it is in the movies.
However, life sometimes is like it in the series of videos the state Supreme Court released this week.
The four short videos or one 18-minute video describe each step in the process to obtain a domestic violence petition. An informational brochure accompanies the videos on the court’s website.
The videos aim to make the process clearer for people seeking domestic violence petitions, which accounted for more than 25% of filings in magistrate courts statewide in 2017.
A person files a domestic violence petition to obtain a protective order, which identifies people who need to be protected from a specific person or people.
These orders also determine what the person accused of domestic violence can or cannot do.
We applaud the court for attempting to make this process more transparent, understandable and accessible to victims of domestic violence.
Using YouTube to explain practically any process may be the most common way most information is imparted these days. So, why not the ins and outs of filing such a petition and noting its ramifications on child custody, who lives in the house, who pays for what and so on?
Just for a victim of domestic violence to take this step takes courage. The last thing they need to be confronted with is intimidating paperwork they don’t understand.
The court system itself can be scary to anyone who has little to no familiarity with the legal nuances that confront someone after a crisis like domestic violence.
Misconceptions abound in this process ranging from what’s a criminal case to what’s a civil process and the broad array of issues that civil protection orders sort out.
The high court is right to target this issue. Not just judging from just the number of filings, either. The numbers of domestic violence calls law enforcement respond to daily makes it all the more of a priority.
It’s easy to assess even by incidental monitoring of emergency dispatch traffic, domestic violence is No. 2, surpassing everything but motor vehicle accidents.
Tragically, many of these incidents escalate from verbal disputes to assault and even murder. At least 34 people died as a result of domestic violence in West Virginia between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018, based on data compiled by the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Other information and emergency contact numbers are also listed on the West Virginia Courts website.
You don’t need to read the book on domestic violence to know where to turn if it happens to you.
But it will sure help if you watch the videos.
