News

Protection from abuse orders – by the numbers

News Article

February 05, 2016

Statewide and county-by-county protection from abuse (PFA) data from Pennsylvania courts is available via an interactive dashboard on the Pennsylvania judiciary’s website, with highlights in the infographic below. For example, 49 percent of processed PFA petitions are terminated by plaintiffs who either withdraw the complaint (21 percent) or don’t appear in court (28 percent).

A PFA is a special type of restraining order available only to victims of domestic violence. It is a court order providing relief from abuse by a family or household member, intimate partner or biological parent. Temporary PFAs last until a court hearing is held (usually within 10 days). Final PFAs are valid up to three years and may be extended.

A high-resolution file of the graphic is available for download at www.pacourts.us under Media Resources.

PA Courts InfoShare is a bi-weekly product of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) that visually highlights the work of the courts with interesting data and statistics obtained through the judiciary’s case management systems, interactive dashboards and other research. Reproduction is permissible with source cited.

 

 

Media contact: Kimberly Bathgate, 717-231-3331

Editor’s Note:

View county-by-county protection from abuse (PFA) data via the PFA interactive dashboards on our website.