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Domestic violence charges can be devastating

On Behalf of | Sep 9, 2016 | Domestic Violence

When you and your significant other get into an argument, you probably don’t expect that it will end with you facing domestic violence charges. Sadly, that is one possibility that can occur. In some cases, these charges are based on actual physical violence. In others, they are based on spurious allegations made by one spouse. In either case, you should make sure that you are ready to fight the charges, because they can adversely affect your entire life.

There are three factors that can affect the severity of the charges you are facing regarding an incident of domestic violence. These include whether there was a restraining order in effect at the time of the alleged event, the severity of the other person’s injuries and whether there was a minor present at the scene.

When you face domestic violence charges, you aren’t necessarily being charged with physical acts of violence. Physical abuse is one of the easiest forms of domestic violence to prove because you can see the effects. Emotional, financial and sexual abuse are also potential criminal charges of spousal abuse.

No matter what type of domestic violence with which you are being charged, a conviction can have dire consequences that can go beyond the court-imposed sentence. These collateral consequences can be social; however, they can also be restrictions on what rights you have.

For example federal law places restrictions for immigration and naturalization on people who are convicted of domestic violence. Federal law also restricts gun ownership for people convicted of domestic violence. All of these are good reasons for you to fight against any domestic violence convictions.

Source: FindLaw, “Domestic Violence,” accessed Sep. 09, 2016