Missouri bill could offer permanent protection orders for abuse victims

Jenna Wilson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Jan. 31—A new Missouri Senate bill looks to allow courts to grant lifetime protection orders for victims of dangerous crimes.

SB 869 is sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon of Ash Grove, Missouri.

"If the bill were to pass, it would give the survivor a chance to request for a lifetime order of protection at the time of sentencing," said Corina Merritt, survivor outreach specialist at the YWCA of St. Joseph. "Though, the respondent or the offender would have to be charged and sentenced with a dangerous felony for the protection order to be requested."

The YWCA deals with various domestic situations and often assists victims with filing an order of protection. With an order of protection, abusers aren't allowed to call, text, email or attempt to get in contact with the victim under any circumstance.

Currently, protection orders are valid for 180 days but can be extended to one year or longer depending on the court's decision. Merritt said the passing of this bill could have many benefits to victims who are often scared of having an abuser reach out to them again.

"A lot of survivors don't file for order of protections because they are afraid that they will still have to see their offenders," she said. "By getting this lifetime order of protection, it assures them that they don't have to cross paths with this person in the future, and if the offender tries, there's orders put into place to where the victim can seek legal action against them."

Officials say this lifetime protection order can also help victims of abuse not be tempted to go back to the abuser, which can be a hard habit to break.

"Statistically, survivors are 7 to 9 times more likely to go back to the abuser before they actually get away," Merritt said. "This specific protection order will hopefully allow them to break that contact with the abuser and guarantee they'll get out of their situation and stay out of it. Unfortunately, it's not always a guarantee, but it's definitely a step in the right direction."

If passed into law, the protection orders would only get lifted if the victim passes away, the conviction is dismissed, expunged, overturned or if the victim submits a written request to terminate the order.

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.