Can My Attacker/Abuser be Charged Criminally?

If you’ve been the victim of domestic violence, you have a couple options.

First, you can file for a protective order. A protective order is a civil remedy and essentially tells your abuser he or she cannot hurt you, communicate with you, or come near you. If he or she violates the order, there may be jail involved.

Second, you can call the police and have your attacker/abuser arrested. If you call the police and the investigate and find proof of the attack, they will very likely arrest your attacker. The prosecuting attorney would then look at the evidence from the police and decide to charge your abuser with battery, domestic violence, aggravated assault, or a similar crime.

If the domestic violence took place near the children, your attacker could also be charged with the additional crime of domestic violence in the presence of children.

These crimes range from misdemeanors with relatively light jail sentences to felonies with potentially long prison sentences.

Domestic violence is no joke, and your attacker can certainly be charged criminally for the violence you’ve been subjected to.

If you find yourself in a domestic violence situation, please, pick option the second option. Call the cops. Protect yourself and your kids.