Washington State has recently passed new laws aimed at helping victims of domestic violence. While this is a step toward protecting these vulnerable individuals, an issue still needs to be addressed: the criminal justice system can often work against them.
In Washington State, there are mandatory arrest laws where police officers are required to arrest and book someone if they determine that there has been domestic violence. However, this can lead to bad decisions, such as putting the wrong person behind bars based on superficial evidence. This can cause irreversible damage to both the victim and the wrongfully convicted perpetrator.
To combat this issue, the new law in Washington State allows victims of domestic violence who have been wrongfully convicted due to their abuser’s actions to vacate their conviction. This means those wrongly convicted can have their record cleared, giving them a fresh start.
If you are a victim of domestic violence and have been impacted by a criminal record that you should not have, please feel free to contact me to take the necessary steps to clear your record.
It is important to remember that victims of domestic violence deserve justice and protection from the criminal justice system. The new law in Washington State is a welcome development, but more needs to be done to ensure that all victims of domestic violence receive fair treatment and justice.