Domestic violence is a steadily increasing issue in our society. Recently, as in the last month or so, we’ve witnessed SEVERAL deaths and unfortunate altercations in the city of Memphis alone. Not to take away from the importance on violence against men, but almost every case we hear or read about is mostly woman centered. The first questions that come to mind when I hear about about a domestic violence dispute is ” why weren’t these issues nipped in the bud from the start?” or ” How did the violence progress so much that it lead to this ending?” This brought me to consider the tactics that we are given to help prevent harm caused to women. The main tactic I want to discuss is the restraining/ protective order.  I chose this topic because I never fully understood the purpose of a restraining order in a dangerous life threatening situation.  My main concern is what good will a piece of paper, ordered from the courts, do me if my attacker won’t acknowledge it or temporarily stops their behavior? Most cases I hear about either involves a current relationship, marriage, or an ex relationship. An example would be the killing of a local Memphis woman a few weeks back at a daycare center. Reportedly, the couple was going through a divorce, and she had already experienced issues with violence because her husband a previous record from back in 2009 when he almost choked her to death.  Supposedly, the woman had a restraining order on file. As we all know restraining orders expire. My argument is to change the law on restraining orders by taking extra necessary steps to help prevent future attacks. In Tennessee, the judge can decide if your case is extreme enough to even file for a restraining order, which I though was preposterous. Who are they to decide how severe your case is? I do understand that they have to regulate cases somehow, but i doubt anyone would take the time out to file for a restraining order if they thought that they really didn’t need one. I feel like a restraining order really doesn’t do anything , but if a person chooses to file one they should be automatically granted  legal rights. Another issue is the process of getting a restraining order. In  the state of Tennessee you have to obtain the necessary forms, fill them out correctly, wait for the service of process, attend a hearing, prove your case worthy of a restraining order, and hope that the court agrees with you and then you’ll have to attend a full court hearing for a final decision. Now, within the time it takes for all of this to occur, you’re still in danger unknowingly to the COURTS! Meaning, if you are lucky enough to have a attacker who is worried about going to jail, they can still abuse, stalk and threaten you without legal precautions. I think we should push the courts to tweak their process on restraining orders and consider the fact that somethings shouldn’t be up for consideration when it comes to safety.