A new report, Assessing Protection from Abuse Orders in Maine, by the University of Southern Maine’s Maine Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) at the Catherine Cutler Institute, offers an in-depth look at how Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders are issued and applied across the state. PFA orders are civil court orders that provide safety and support—like economic relief—to victims of domestic abuse and certain other crimes and abuse types.
Despite their significance, a comprehensive statewide assessment of how PFA relief is implemented has remained elusive. Only some of the information is collected in the Maine Judicial Branch’s electronic case management system. Meaning researchers needed to conduct a manual review of physical files in every district court across the state—a labor-intensive but essential undertaking to evaluate outcomes and assess current practices.
“We became aware of the importance of examining Maine’s PFA relief data when the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) elevated the issue in 2023,” said Maine SAC Director Julia Bergeron-Smith. “As the state’s SAC, our mission is to enhance Maine’s capacity to address justice issues, policies, and practices through objective data collection and analysis. The opportunity to study PFA filings and orders was both timely and aligned with our commitment to support Maine agencies and organizations through research that informs evidence-based decision-making.”
With funding from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Maine SAC and MCEDV conducted an 18-month research project to scan and analyze a year’s worth of final PFAs and generate a first-of-its-kind dataset. SAC researchers traveled over 3,400 miles to 25 district courts statewide, reviewing thousands of 2023 case files.
The study found that the majority of final PFA orders were filed against intimate partners (77%), lasted 24 months (66%), and required defendants to relinquish their firearms and/or other dangerous weapons (50.2%). Notably, outcomes varied depending on how the order was determined—whether by mutual agreement between parties or through a judicial ruling after a hearing. For example, mutually agreed-upon orders were less likely to award sole custody of minor children to plaintiffs or to mandate firearm relinquishment than final orders determined by a judge.
The report also revealed significant differences among court regions. For example, orders issued in Region 1 (Biddeford District Court), on average, had shorter durations than orders issued in other regions. Additionally, PFAs issued in Region 8 (Caribou, Fort Kent, Houlton, and Presque Isle district courts) were less likely to require defendants to relinquish their firearms, with only 20% of Region 8 orders including such provisions.
“These differences raise important questions,” said lead data analyst Tara Wheeler of the Maine SAC. “While the order data does not explain the reasons behind these disparities, the findings provide a strong foundation for further research.”
Andrea Mancuso, Public Policy Director at MCEDV, expanded on the report’s utility: “This report is an incredibly valuable resource for policymakers as well as advocates who are working hand in hand with survivors to access Maine’s civil justice system across Maine every day. This data will help us over the next several years in the work to ensure that the protections and support available to respond to the needs of survivors in Maine’s protection from abuse statute can be functionally accessed by them.”
The Assessing Protection from Abuse Orders in Maine report was funded by the State Justice Statistics Program, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. The full report is available at mainesac.org.