Domestic Violence

STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
If you or someone you know is being abused, break the cycle, end the silence! Call your Police Department (Ringwood P.D. 962-7017) or Make a Confidential Call for Help 1-800-572-SAFE.

IF YOU NEED HELP
For emergency shelter, counseling, or other services, call the New Jersey Division on Women's Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-572-SAFE. This hot line is toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is also bilingual and TDD-equipped for the hearing impaired.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY DIAL 9-1-1
This hot line can refer you to your local battered woman's program for emergency shelter and counseling. The local program can also help you fill out forms, provide legal advocacy, prepare you for a court appearance, and in some cases accompany you to court.
If you would like to consult a lawyer and do not know where to get one, look under Lawyer Referral service in the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory. For a small fee the Lawyer Referral Service will put you in touch with an attorney.

YOUR RIGHTS.....

(NEW JERSEY PREVENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT)

You have the right to get a judge to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) that may help protect you from more abuse by the person who abused you.

A TRO may require that your attacker is temporarily forbidden from (1) entering your home, (2) having contact with you or your relatives, or (3) bothering you at work. A TRO may also require your attacker to pay temporary support for your children or you, and to pay you back money spent for treatment or repairs because of the violence. A TRO may also say that you have temporary custody of your children, and may include other things the court can order.

You can get a TRO by contacting the Family Part of Superior Court in your county during business hours (until 3:30 p.m.). On weekends, holidays, and after 3:30 p.m. on business days, you can get a TRO from the Municipal Court in your area. You also have the right to file a criminal complaint against your attacker. In some cases, the police themselves are required to file a criminal complaint against the attacker.

This information is provided by the Ringwood Police Department in conjuction with the New Jersey Division on Woman, Department of Community Affairs, Office on the Prevention of Violence Against Women.