Getting arrested for a Domestic Violence charge is no minor matter.

When you face an allegation of domestic violence in Connecticut, your life can change. The court may even order you out of your home and away from your children. The truth is simple. The Connecticut Domestic Violence court system benefits the “victim.” Oftentimes, this happens at your expense. You might have to come back to court multiple times over months, rather than have your case resolve on your first court date. Also, the state can ask for permanent orders against you. This bars you from visitation. It limits your ability to be a parent to your children. The office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Connecticut has a special domestic violence unit. This unit travels from city to city to prosecute domestic violence case and train local prosecutors.

10 Things to Know About Domestic Violence

1. If arrested for domestic violence, you must appear in court the next business day that the court is open.
2. People charged with domestic violence must cooperate with the Family Services Division of Court Support Services Division. Failure to cooperate before your arraignment can hurt your case.
3. The court will hear a proposal from the court support services office. The proposal concerns whether the judge should impose a full, partial, or no protective order. Each order comes from a judge. Only a judge can change it.
4. If you are arrested for domestic violence and have any guns or firearms, you can’t keep them. You will have to turn them over to someone else who is licensed or the police.
5. Violation of a judge’s protective order can be a more serious crime than the original charge!
6. If you are being issued a protective order you have a right to have a hearing on this and to fight it. If you do not fight it, you might agree to waive the ability to fight it forever.
7. Most courts have special days and prosecutors for domestic violence who have special training.
8. There are special court programs for people charged with domestic violence which may help you with your case, but there is no guarantee you will be allowed into the program.
9. If you are facing a charge of domestic violence in Connecticut, it is not unusual to go to court more than five times before your case is resolved. The sooner you have a lawyer working for you, the quicker the case may resolve.
10. Just because you are no longer together or the “victim” wants the case dropped does not mean that the case will be dropped. The state can force a victim to testify against you if they want to do so.

Hiring A Domestic Violence Attorney

At times like this you need a knowledgeable, dedicated domestic violence attorney. You need a lawyer who knows the laws, knows the way the courts work, and knows the creative ways to defend a case. The domestic violence defense lawyers of Ruane Attorneys can be those lawyers for you.

Since 1977, our attorneys have been fighting for the rights of the criminally accused in Connecticut. Through four decades of dedicated defense work, we have amassed a history of strong, unwavering advocacy for our clients, oftentimes in the face of overwhelming odds. In these times, when all hope seems lost, the dedication of Ruane Attorneys shines through.

The sooner you start working on your defense case, the better it will be for you. Get informed. We have dedicated dozens of pages to getting you the information you need to know about the domestic violence laws in Connecticut.