Know the Laws: Alabama
UPDATED April 4, 2008
Even if you do not qualify for a Protection from Abuse Order, your abuser may have committed a crime. If you call the police, they may arrest him for a crime. For more information about this process, please see this pamphlet from Legal Services of Alabama, including a section on criminal actions: Legal Actions to Get Protection From Abuse.
You may also want to look at the Alabama Criminal Code to read legal definitions of crimes. Please see Title 13A Criminal Code in these statutes: http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm
In Alabama, there is a specific crime of domestic violence, which is defined as assault when the victim is a current or former spouse, parent, child, any person with whom the defendant has a child in common, a present or former household member, or a person who has or had a dating or engagement relationship with the defendant.*
Consider that in Alabama, the following are also crimes:
- assault
- menacing (by physical action, someone intentionally places or attempts to place another person in fear of immediate serious physical injury.)
- reckless endangerment
- criminal coercion
- kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment
- sexual offenses
- stalking
* Alabama Code §§13A-6-130 -132
- What are some crimes that the abuser may have committed?
- Where can I find additional information about crimes?
back to topWhat are some crimes that the abuser may have committed?
Some states have a specific crime of "domestic violence," and others do not. Even if there is a crime of domestic violence, the definition of that crime may not be the same as the definition of domestic violence used for getting a restraining order. Check the restraining order pages for your state under our Know the Laws page for more information on the definition of domestic violence for getting a restraining order.
Whether or not a state has a specific crime of domestic violence, it will have other crimes that the abuser may have committed. Crimes in your state may include:
- Assault
- Threats (or menacing)
- Endangerment
- Criminal coercion
- Kidnapping
- Unlawful imprisonment
- Sexual offenses (e.g. sexual assault, rape)
- Trespassing
- Harassment
- Stalking.
back to topWhere can I find additional information about crimes?
You may learn more about crimes by calling your local police department, sheriff's department, or district attorney's office. See our Sheriff's Departments page for the contact information for your local sheriff's department.
If you are a victim of domestic violence and have been charged with a crime, you can contact the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women.
Other organizations for victims of crime are listed on our National Resources page.
You may want to contact the Stalking Resource Center if you are being stalked or harassed: www.ncvc.org/src