Seeking court-ordered protection from domestic abuse and other violence against women crimes can be difficult enough. Now Wisconsin courts and others are working to make the process easier to navigate.
This fall, Wisconsin launched a statewide online restraining order portal that allows people in every county to prepare and submit domestic abuse and harassment temporary restraining order (also known as civil protection order) petitions using a computer, smartphone, or other mobile device.
The portal guides users through the petition and e-Filing process. Petitioners use the portal to complete their court paperwork and, for users logged in to an account, submit the required forms to the circuit court. Petitioners can also prepare forms through this portal without an account — a feature designed to reduce barriers for those seeking protection.
The portal represents more than a new use of technology. It shows what can happen when courts share their experience and put lessons learned into practice.
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Courts learning from courts
Wisconsin is one of three learner sites participating in the National Center for State Court’s civil protection order portal technical assistance project, along with Florida’s Palm Beach County Clerk’s Office and Hawaii’s Third Circuit. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, the project brings courts together to improve the safety, accessibility, fairness, and effectiveness of virtual civil protection order processes.
Learner sites receive intensive training and technical assistance to examine their processes, update policies and procedures, and implement user-centered technology that can improve safety and access. They also benefit from the experience of mentor courts in Arizona, Indiana, and Kansas.
The work looks beyond simply putting forms online. Courts examine the process from initial filing through judicial decisions and service, identifying duplicated work, barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
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Testing before scaling
Wisconsin took a deliberate approach to statewide implementation, first conducting a review of its petition and processes to identify user-centered technology frameworks to create a portal design, followed by testing the developed portal in eight counties.
During the pilot, 72 petitions were filed, while 122 advocates, court personnel, and other stakeholders received hands-on training. Feedback from advocates, court staff, and users helped shape the portal before its statewide expansion.
That combination of testing, training, and feedback offers an important lesson for other courts considering similar technology: effective modernization is not just about the tool. It is also about the people, policies, processes, and experiences surrounding it.
“This project is a great example of how courts can learn from their community partners and from each other,” said NCSC Court Management Consultant Sarah Vandenberg Van Zee. “We help courts adapt what’s working elsewhere and turn one court’s innovation into a resource for courts nationwide.”
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Turning experience into a resource for other courts
Wisconsin’s launch is one milestone in a greater effort. NCSC will use lessons from both experienced and learner sites to develop guidance that other courts can put into practice.
The work also advances NCSC’s Strategic Agenda priority of using technology to advance innovative solutions by demonstrating how thoughtfully designed online processes can improve access while supporting court operations.
To learn how courts are using shared experience to develop user-centered, trauma-informed technology that promotes safety and efficiency, explore NCSC’s civil protection order portal project at www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/advancing-victim-safety-court-technology-through-civil-protection-order-portals.
This fall, Wisconsin launched a statewide online restraining order portal that allows people in every county to prepare and submit domestic abuse and harassment temporary restraining order (also known as civil protection order) petitions using a computer, smartphone, or other mobile device.
The portal guides users through the petition and e-Filing process. Petitioners use the portal to complete their court paperwork and, for users logged in to an account, submit the required forms to the circuit court. Petitioners can also prepare forms through this portal without an account — a feature designed to reduce barriers for those seeking protection.
The portal represents more than a new use of technology. It shows what can happen when courts share their experience and put lessons learned into practice.
—————
Courts learning from courts
Wisconsin is one of three learner sites participating in the National Center for State Court’s civil protection order portal technical assistance project, along with Florida’s Palm Beach County Clerk’s Office and Hawaii’s Third Circuit. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, the project brings courts together to improve the safety, accessibility, fairness, and effectiveness of virtual civil protection order processes.
Learner sites receive intensive training and technical assistance to examine their processes, update policies and procedures, and implement user-centered technology that can improve safety and access. They also benefit from the experience of mentor courts in Arizona, Indiana, and Kansas.
The work looks beyond simply putting forms online. Courts examine the process from initial filing through judicial decisions and service, identifying duplicated work, barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
—————
Testing before scaling
Wisconsin took a deliberate approach to statewide implementation, first conducting a review of its petition and processes to identify user-centered technology frameworks to create a portal design, followed by testing the developed portal in eight counties.
During the pilot, 72 petitions were filed, while 122 advocates, court personnel, and other stakeholders received hands-on training. Feedback from advocates, court staff, and users helped shape the portal before its statewide expansion.
That combination of testing, training, and feedback offers an important lesson for other courts considering similar technology: effective modernization is not just about the tool. It is also about the people, policies, processes, and experiences surrounding it.
“This project is a great example of how courts can learn from their community partners and from each other,” said NCSC Court Management Consultant Sarah Vandenberg Van Zee. “We help courts adapt what’s working elsewhere and turn one court’s innovation into a resource for courts nationwide.”
—————
Turning experience into a resource for other courts
Wisconsin’s launch is one milestone in a greater effort. NCSC will use lessons from both experienced and learner sites to develop guidance that other courts can put into practice.
The work also advances NCSC’s Strategic Agenda priority of using technology to advance innovative solutions by demonstrating how thoughtfully designed online processes can improve access while supporting court operations.
To learn how courts are using shared experience to develop user-centered, trauma-informed technology that promotes safety and efficiency, explore NCSC’s civil protection order portal project at www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/advancing-victim-safety-court-technology-through-civil-protection-order-portals.
