Orders Of Protection
Orders of protection may be issued by the criminal and civil courts and other agencies to protect you, your family members, and pets from harm or threats of harm by another person.
If you are given an order of protection and a copy is not provided to you, you should contact the court or agency that issued the order to get a copy. It is important that you keep a copy of the order with you at all times. You may also ask that the order includes no third party contact, which means that the person or defendant cannot use another person to contact you.
If the person or defendant violates the order, you should contact the police as soon as possible. The police may arrest the person or defendant for violating the order.
For more information about orders of protection, please call the OVS Helpline at 1-800-822-8428, Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
No Contact Order [Sections 54-63d(c) and 54-64a(c)]
If the person accused of the crime (defendant) is released on bail, a judge may give you a no contact order as a condition of the release. This means the defendant must not have contact with you while the criminal case is pending.
No contact orders may also be issued as a condition of release by the Court Support Services Division Bail Services, the Department of Correction, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Psychiatric Security Review Board. These orders will end when the supervision by the agency issuing the order ends.
Protective Order [Sections 46b-38c and 54-1k]
If you are the victim of a sexual assault, a family/domestic violence related crime, or stalking, you have the right to ask the court to issue a protective order to protect you, family members, and your pets from threats, harassment, injury, or intimidation by the defendant.
Protective orders can only be issued by the court after the accused person is arrested and will be issued at the time of arraignment. In almost all family/domestic violence cases, a protective order is issued by the court even if the victim tells the court that he or she does not want an order of protection.
Because the protective order ends when the criminal case ends (unless the judge ends it sooner), you may want to consider applying for a civil restraining order, too.
Civil Restraining Order [Sections 46b-15 and 46b-38a]
You may file an application with the Family Division of the Civil Court for a civil restraining order to stop:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From physically hurting you, threatening to hurt you physically, and from being stalked by that person.
You must go to a court hearing to get a restraining order. If you, your minor children, or pets are in immediate and present physical danger, you may request a temporary (ex parte) restraining order until the hearing.
The hearing will be held within 2 weeks from the date the temporary restraining order was issued. At the hearing, you will explain to the judge why you need a restraining order. If the judge issues a restraining order, the order will be in effect for one year, unless the judge orders a different length of time.
For more information about restraining orders, please read
Restraining Orders: How to Apply for Relief from Abuse (JDP-FM-142) found on the Judicial Branch website at www.jud.ct.gov and at the Court Service Centers in the Judicial District courthouses.
Civil Protection Order [Section 46b-16a]
You may file an application in the Civil Court for a civil protection order if you are a victim of sexual abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, and the offender is not related to you, a household member, or a current or former partner and you have not been given or are eligible for any other court order of protection. OVS has victim services advocates at courthouses throughout the state available to help you with the civil protection order process.
Standing Criminal Protective Order [Section 53a-40e]
A standing criminal protective order (SCPO) is like a protective order except that the order is issued by a judge as part of the defendant’s sentence at the end of the criminal case. This type of order is usually issued for a long period of time in more serious assaults or sexual assault crimes.
Department Of Correction
When a defendant is sentenced to prison, the Department of Correction (DOC) decides which prison the defendant (inmate) will go to by classifying the inmate based on security risk and treatment and program needs. Because this is an ongoing process, an inmate may be moved (transferred) to another prison at any time. York Correctional Institution in Niantic is the only DOC prison for female inmates.
The DOC Offender Information Search website at www.ctinmateinfo.state.ct.us has current inmate custody status information, including the prison where the inmate is currently held and the inmate’s maximum release date from prison.
Jail Credit
Inmates who were held in jail or prison for the crime they were accused of while the criminal court case was pending will have their prison sentence reduced by the time they already served. This is known as jail time credit.
