Domestic violence is a serious offense. Those accused of family violence open themselves up to a variety of consequences, including incarceration and significant fines. Federal domestic violence offenses can escalate the severity of these consequences. Working with a Lubbock federal domestic violence lawyer can be an instrumental part of building your defense. If you have been accused of family violence on a federal level, speak with a skilled criminal defense attorney that can build a solid case for you.
Explaining the Violence Against Women Act
The Violence Against Women Act is a bit of federal legislation. As opposed to being legislation that comes from the state. It has been around for quite some time. And it is in regards to issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, and similar crimes.
It is the federal government’s opportunity to prosecute those crimes. It came about out of an interest to reduce the percentages of women exposed to violence. While VAWA has broadened a little bit, in terms of who it applies to. But it is as the name implies. The focus has always been on women since the beginning. Thus reducing the statistics of domestic violence against women through the federal oversight of that issue.
Who Is Protected Under VAWA?
Who is protected under VAWA? It is a little different than state law in terms of its definition. Unlike state law, VAWA protects spouses or ex-spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, or intimate partners whereas, in Texas state law, they can include roommates and things like that, cohabitants and so forth.
VAWA has expanded, it gets reauthorized every few years and that expands and so, some of the significant expansions and some of the significant things that VAWA is looking after is trafficking of people, stalking of people, dating violence.
Those are some of the key expansions of VAWA that now cover crimes where intimate partners are not the accusers. That means it is conceivable that they may not be an intimate partner. But still fall under the VAWA for the stalking and the trafficking in that context. If a person wants to know more about who the VAWA protects. They should consult a Lubbock federal domestic violence lawyer that can help.
Necessity of Consulting a Domestic Violence Lawyer
In any domestic violence situation, but particularly when it comes to federal domestic violence charges, a person should contact a Lubbock federal domestic violence lawyer because of the complexity of it particularly when it comes to VAWA and any kind of assault that are affirmative defenses.
Depending on the situation and who the person is, the tactics that someone might use when operating in the court system are difficult to understand. Furthermore, taking something like this on by yourself would be a huge mistake especially in light of the fact that your freedoms and rights are going to be at stake including jail and fine and losses, access to loved ones or property, or those kinds of things.
It might feel like there is too much going on around you, and you might be overwhelmed. Work with an attorney who can spend time making tactical decisions about what is best for you, and can work to build your case.