As Evy approached the door to JBWS’ Morris Family Justice Center (MFJC), she was filled with fear and doubt. Questions were racing through her mind: “Was she doing the right thing?” “Will this place even be able to help her?” “What is the future going to look like now?”
Before Evy could even ring the doorbell to gain entrance into the MFJC, a staff member walked up behind her and asked if she needed help. Despite her hesitation, Evy disclosed that she had come to the MFJC to talk to someone about her relationship. As she spoke with the staff member, Evy’s eyes welled with tears. She couldn’t understand what her life had become.
Upon reviewing the power and control wheel, Evy began to identify the ways abuse presented in her relationship. She decided that she wanted to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order, even if she was fearful about what may happen in the future. A member of the Sherriff’s Office arrived at the Morris Family Justice Center to take her restraining order application. As they wanted for a judge to hear Evy’s complaint, the officer shared his personal experience with domestic violence as a child. The officer’s vulnerability alleviated some of Evy’s concerns about filing a restraining order.
As Evy walked toward the room where the judge was waiting to hear her case, the MFJC staff were right by her side. Their presence made Evy feel as comfortable as she possibly could in a difficult situation. Within thirty minutes, Evy was granted a Temporary Restraining Order. Unfortunately, she began to panic because her child arrived home from school earlier than expected.
This meant that her child was alone at home with her partner. Evy did not want her child to see their father taken out of the home by law enforcement officers. To rectify this, The Sherriff’s Officer’s Supervisor immediately connected with Evy’s home municipality to orchestrate a plan. Evy was going to pick up her child, let the officers know when they left, and then officers from the local municipality, who had set up a few blocks from the home, would serve Evy’s husband.
“What happened that day was a formal collaboration between partners, and personal connections to further support Evy’s safety,” says Maria Lagattuta, director of JBWS’ Morris Family Justice Center. “We know that a law enforcement officer showed up with compassion to connect with this woman who was both scared and in pain. And we believe she left with a little more hope than what she walked in with.”
