1. What Are My Rights? Teen Dating Violence and the Law
Bronwyn Blake, J.D.
Founder and Senior Attorney: Teen Justice Initiative
Texas Advocacy Project

2. Texas Advocacy Project: Teen Justice Initiative
Ortralla Mosley
Law school, Trella, Break the Cycle, almost 4 years serving Texas teens. Seen a lot of trends…
20/20: Violence and Dating: 4/1/05

3. Domestic Violence → Dating Violence
What do we picture when we think of intimate partner violence? Used to be images like these. Grown women. Wives. What interventions did they access? Self defense and hiding…
Jennifer Lopez in Enough
Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy

4. Domestic Violence → Dating Violence
What do we picture now? Younger women. Girlfriends. Female violence. What interventions did they access?
Rhianna
Carrie Underwood in Before He Cheats

5. Domestic Violence → Dating Violence
One-third of teens report experiencing some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, including verbal and emotional abuse. Carolyn Tucker Halpern, Ph.D. et al., "Partner Violence among Adolescents in Opposite-Sex Romantic Relationships: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health." American Journal of Public Health 91 (2001) 1680.
Females ages are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group – at a rate almost triple the national average.
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, (Oct. 2001, rev. 11/28/01).
Legal services are the only service that correlates with a decrease in domestic abuse.
Farmer & J. Tiefenthaler, Explaining the Recent Decline in Domestic Violence, CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, vol. 21, pp (April 2003).
For instance, Protective Orders are as much as 80% effective in preventing future violence.
Holt, Victoria L., Kernic , Mary A., Lumley , Thomas, Wolf , Marsha E., and Rivara , Frederick P., Civil Protection Orders and Risk of Subsequent Police-Reported Violence, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, V. 288 (5), August 7, 2002,
What do we know now? Most common victims are female teens. Best intervention: legal.

6. Overview: Teen Legal Options
Legal Services Overview
Criminal Options
Civil Options
School Options
Resources
Agenda for the hour…questions anytime. Lots of trends and practical resources.

7. 1. Legal Services Overview
Working with Teens:
Safety First
Build trust
Ask specific questions
Act fast
Extra help with decision making
Be flexible
 mcgruffstore.com
Give examples from these handbooks

8. 1. Legal Services Overview (continued)
Preliminary Legal Issues:
Minor parties?
Legal definitions includes dating?
Mandatory reporting?
Cunningham, Karen and Catherine F. Klein, Esq. “Teen Dating Violence,” The Impact of Domestic Violence on Your Legal Practice (2nd Edition). The American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence.

9. 2. Criminal Options Make a statement File charges: Emergency Orders
Assault
Stalking
Sexual Assault
Emergency Orders
Victim Compensation

10. 3. Civil Options Civil Domestic Violence Protection Orders
Civil court orders that a victim can request from the court to get protection from an abuser.
The protection order can order an abuser to:
stop harming the victim,
stop having contact with the victim, or
stop contacting the victim at work, school,
or at the victim’s children’s school or daycare.
Civil vs Criminal

11. 3. Civil Options (continued)
Problems with Teen Access:
Definitions: Dating? Stalking?
Can a minor file?
Filing fees?
How long do they last?
NOTE: older study, picture not totally accurate. Explain why these things are problems
“Dating Violence: Can Teens Access Protection Orders?”
Cheryl Green and Lara Murray Mohlhenrich,
National Center for Victims of Crime, 2005.

12. 3. Civil Options (continued)
Do I qualify?
Type of relationship
Type of Abuse
Age
How do I get a Protection Order?
What can I ask For?
How much will it Cost?
Explain the realm of possibilites
BreaktheCycle.org

13. 3. Civil Options (continued)
Case studies:
Virginia
California
Texas

14. 3. Civil Options (continued)

15. 3. Civil Options (continued)

16. 3. Civil Options (continued)

17. 4. School Options School Policies Regarding Dating Violence:
Definitions
Developing a Response
Prevention and Training
Interventions in the Schools
Safety Planning
Record Keeping
Explain the realm of possibilites

18. 4. School Options (continued)
Case Studies:
Massachusetts
New York
Texas
Rhode Island
California
Nebraska
HealthyTeenDating.org
TexasAdvocacyProject.org

19. 4. School Options (continued)
Stay away agreement

20. 4. School Options (continued)
Sexual Harassment
Hostile Hallways
Eight in 10 students (81 percent) experience some form of sexual harassment during their school lives
Girls are more likely than boys to experience sexual harassment ever (83 percent vs. 79 percent)
Title IX
AAUW.org

21. 5. Resources General National Info: Break the Cycle’s TheSafeSpace.org
CDC’s ChooseRespect.org
Liz Claiborne’s LoveIsNotAbuse.org
“I saw Dave yelling at Megan in the hall so I asked him to stop”

22. 5. Resources Victim Assistance: National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
LoveIsRepect.org
TTY

23. Presenter Information:
Bronwyn Blake
Founder and Senior Attorney, Teen Justice Initiative
Texas Advocacy Project
(512) office
(512) fax
PO Box 833
Austin, Texas 78767
Texas Dating/Family Violence Legal Line SAFE