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Organizing your petition
Victims of Crime Topics
This content was last updated on 3/1/2022
How to organize what you put in your Petition for an Order of Protection
Take this with you when you need to filefor an Order of Protection
For each example of abuse or stalking, you need to describe:
Who
Say who abused or stalked you. Also say who was there to see it. It’s OK if it was only you and the Respondent during the abuse.
How
Talk about how the Respondent abused or stalked you. Be specific about details that you can remember. For example, if the Respondent hit you, say where they hit you on your body. If the Respondent threatened you, say what they said and how it made you feel.
When
Be as specific as possible about the time the abuse happened. Try to remember the date, day of the week, and/or time. If it happened around a holiday or special event, say that. Don’t worry if you can’t remember every detail. That’s normal when there is trauma. Say in your Petition if it is hard to remember details because of trauma.
Where
Be specific. Write where the abuse or stalking happened. For example, if the Respondent abused you in a specific room, say what room it was.Or say where you were when the Respondent stalked you.
What you felt
You can write how you felt both physically and emotionally. For example, if you were scared for your life during the abuse or threats of abuse or stalking describe that in your Petition. You can also describe physical pain you felt because of the abuse.
