One of the most prominent legal interventions developed to protect victims in domestic abuse cases is the temporary restraining order or TRO. These are also called orders for protection or civil protective orders. Through an analysis of 397 restraining order petitions filed in the Family Court of the First Circuit in Honolulu, HI and subsequent arrest and conviction data for TRO defendants from 1996 to 1998, this study examined outcomes and subsequent criminal behaviors by those named as defendants in restraining order petitions. The results were presented under a profile of petitioners and defendants, circumstances of TRO petitions, outcomes of TRO and restraining order petitions, police reports, arrests, and criminal violations in the 2-year period following TRO filing, and TRO outcomes and subsequent criminal justice system involvement. The study confirmed that TRO petitioners report many types of abuse and while half of the TRO defendants do not reoffend, a small percent of defendants are responsible for multiple police reports, arrests, and criminal violations. Past and current research indicates that TRO's are an important complement in any coordinated system response to intimate partner violence. References