Before the pandemic spread, getting a domestic violence restraining order was an onerous process in Detroit’s Wayne County. Obtaining one required going to court to complete several pieces of paperwork, waiting to see if a petition was granted, and finding out when a hearing would take place. The process could take all day. “It can be incredibly intimidating to file a personal protection order,” said Jeni Hooper of First Step, an advocacy group for survivors of domestic violence. The coronavirus has required court systems to adapt at a time when experts warn that social isolation, economic uncertainty, and a wave of guy-buying are driving up domestic abuse. Calls to the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence were up 102 percent in March and the first half of April, compared to the same period last year, reports The Trace, with the Detroit Free Press and Outlier Media.
In Wayne County, officials accelerated plans to digitize the process for a personal protection order (PPO). On April 17, three days before courthouses closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Wayne County Circuit Court launched a digital portal through which people can request orders remotely. As part of the process, a petitioner can ask a judge to prohibit the respondent from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Most states lack an automatic gun prohibition with an temporary pre-hearing order, even though experts warn that a failure to disarm abusers when an order is served exacerbates the risks for victims. The e-filing system has been processing an average of 17 PPO applications per day, about the same volume that came through the old system in March. That’s down from a pre-pandemic average of about 25 per day.