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Increasing Access to Restraining Orders for Low-Income Victims of Domestic Violence: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Domestic Abuse Grant Program

By NLADA on January 28, 2020 • ( 0 )

By: Liz Elwart, Nina Emerson, Christina Enders, Dani Fumia, Kevin Murphy Published by State Bar of Wisconsin (WISBAR) published in December 2006

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This report evaluates the benefits and costs of expanding the Domestic Abuse Grant Program (DAGP) to improve access to legal aid for women seeking restraining orders. Research suggests that low-income individuals are more often victims of domestic violence than their moderate – and high- income counterparts. Research also shows that the aid of a legal representative increases the chance that a request for a restraining order will be granted. The report ultimately recommends the state bar expand funding to DAGP while recruiting attorneys to provide pro bono legal counsel.

Overall, the research team estimated that the net benefit from enacting the DAGP expansion would be $9,840,500.

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Categories: Domestic Violence, Family, Legal Aid Attorneys, Legal Aid Practitioners, Policymakers and Funders, Researchers and Academics, State-Specific, Victims of Crime