26.50.035 - Development of instructions, informational brochures, forms, and handbook by the administrative office of the courts -- Community resource list -- Distribution of master copy.

Development of instructions, informational brochures, forms, and handbook by the administrative office of the courts — Community resource list — Distribution of master copy.

(1) The administrative office of the courts shall develop and prepare instructions and informational brochures required under RCW 26.50.030(4), standard petition and order for protection forms, and a court staff handbook on domestic violence and the protection order process. The standard petition and order for protection forms must be used after September 1, 1994, for all petitions filed and orders issued under this chapter. The instructions, brochures, forms, and handbook shall be prepared in consultation with interested persons, including a representative of the state domestic violence coalition, judges, and law enforcement personnel.

     (a) The instructions shall be designed to assist petitioners in completing the petition, and shall include a sample of standard petition and order for protection forms.

     (b) The informational brochure shall describe the use of and the process for obtaining, modifying, and terminating a domestic violence protection order as provided under this chapter, an antiharassment no-contact order as provided under chapter 9A.46 RCW, a domestic violence no-contact order as provided under chapter 10.99 RCW, a restraining order as provided under chapters 26.09, 26.10, 26.26, and 26.44 RCW, an antiharassment protection order as provided by chapter 10.14 RCW, and a foreign protection order as defined in chapter 26.52 RCW.

     (c) The order for protection form shall include, in a conspicuous location, notice of criminal penalties resulting from violation of the order, and the following statement: "You can be arrested even if the person or persons who obtained the order invite or allow you to violate the order's prohibitions. The respondent has the sole responsibility to avoid or refrain from violating the order's provisions. Only the court can change the order upon written application."

     (d) The court staff handbook shall allow for the addition of a community resource list by the court clerk.

     (2) All court clerks shall obtain a community resource list from a domestic violence program, defined in RCW 70.123.020, serving the county in which the court is located. The community resource list shall include the names and telephone numbers of domestic violence programs serving the community in which the court is located, including law enforcement agencies, domestic violence agencies, sexual assault agencies, legal assistance programs, interpreters, multicultural programs, and batterers' treatment programs. The court shall make the community resource list available as part of or in addition to the informational brochures described in subsection (1) of this section.

     (3) The administrative office of the courts shall distribute a master copy of the petition and order forms, instructions, and informational brochures to all court clerks and shall distribute a master copy of the petition and order forms to all superior, district, and municipal courts.

     (4) For purposes of this section, "court clerks" means court administrators in courts of limited jurisdiction and elected court clerks.

     (5) The administrative office of the courts shall determine the significant non-English-speaking or limited English-speaking populations in the state. The administrator shall then arrange for translation of the instructions and informational brochures required by this section, which shall contain a sample of the standard petition and order for protection forms, into the languages spoken by those significant non-English-speaking populations and shall distribute a master copy of the translated instructions and informational brochures to all court clerks by January 1, 1997.

     (6) The administrative office of the courts shall update the instructions, brochures, standard petition and order for protection forms, and court staff handbook when changes in the law make an update necessary.

[2005 c 282 § 40; 2000 c 119 § 14; 1995 c 246 § 4; 1993 c 350 § 2; 1985 c 303 § 3; 1984 c 263 § 31.]

Notes: Application -- 2000 c 119: See note following RCW 26.50.021.

Severability -- 1995 c 246: See note following RCW 26.50.010.

Findings -- 1993 c 350: "The legislature finds that domestic violence is a problem of immense proportions affecting individuals as well as communities. Domestic violence has long been recognized as being at the core of other major social problems including child abuse, crimes of violence against person or property, juvenile delinquency, and alcohol and drug abuse. Domestic violence costs include the loss of lives as well as millions of dollars each year in the state of Washington for health care, absence from work, and services to children. The crisis is growing.

     While the existing protection order process can be a valuable tool to increase safety for victims and to hold batterers accountable, specific problems in its use have become evident. Victims have difficulty completing the paperwork required; model forms have been modified to be inconsistent with statutory language; different forms create confusion for law enforcement agencies about the contents and enforceability of orders. Refinements are needed so that victims have the easy, quick, and effective access to the court system envisioned at the time the protection order process was first created.

     Valuable information about the reported incidents of domestic violence in the state of Washington is unobtainable without gathering data from all law enforcement agencies. Without this information, it is difficult for policymakers, funders, and service providers to plan for the resources and services needed to address the issue." [1993 c 350 § 1.]

Severability -- 1993 c 350: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [1993 c 350 § 9.]