When Scranton police responded to a South Side residence early last month, they found a frightened woman allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, who was just out of jail.
Officers arrested the man accused of the attack and charged him with assault, but before they left the home they did one more equally important thing — provided the victim with information about the process of getting a protection-from-abuse order and gave her a victims’ resource card.
“All documents were explained and provided to her,” the affidavit concluded.
A protection-from-abuse order is a civil court order to help protect victims of domestic violence, providing relief from abuse by an intimate partner, family or household member.
A PFA can order an abuser to refrain from harassing, threatening or stalking another person; order the abuser to refrain from contact with their victims; order the abuser to be removed from the residence they share with the victim; award temporary custody or visitation rights of minor children, and order the abuser to surrender firearms to law enforcement officers.
In Lackawanna County, where figures show a slight bump from last year, District Attorney Brian Gallagher believes numbers increased not because of an increase in domestic violence, but in the consistency of law enforcement officers pointing out where to get help.
When law enforcement officers in Lackawanna County go to the scene of domestic violence, they are required to follow a specific protocol, Gallagher said.
In addition to providing information regarding the Women’s Resource Center, which is able to assist victims with the process of getting a protection-from-abuse order, officers also provide a packet of information regarding access to other resources including medical health assistance, food banks and housing.
Gallagher pointed out victims are often dependent on their abusers for finances, child care and emotional support.
Questions are asked on the PFA form at the Women’s Resource Center in Scranton Friday, January 2, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The PFA form is to be filled out by plantiffs at the Women’s Resource Center in Scranton Friday, January 2, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Victims often feel empowered when they are provided with resources and support, he said.
In Pennsylvania there are three types of protection-from-abuse orders: an emergency order, a temporary order and a final order.
An emergency PFA order is issued by a magisterial district judge outside of regular business hours. An emergency PFA is in effect until the next day the court reopens.
A temporary PFA is issued by a county judge based on a sworn statement and lasts until there is opportunity for the court to conduct a full hearing.
A final PFA is issued at a final hearing, where both the victim and the alleged abuser appear, give testimony and have the opportunity to be represented by an attorney. Following that final hearing, a judge may decide to issue a PFA that may remain in effect for up to three years and then may be extended.
A PFA order is a civil matter and not a criminal one, Gallagher said.
However, if an abuser violates the order, then it becomes a criminal matter of indirect criminal contempt. The abuser will then appear before a county judge who will decide if the PFA order was violated. If so the judge can put the abuser in jail for up to six months and/or fine them up to $1,000.
Court officials said the number of new protection-from-abuse orders filed statewide in 2024 increased by less than 1% from 41,736 in 2023.
In Lackawanna County, that increase was slightly above the state statistic, with an increase of 2.6%, from 1,042 in 2023 to 1,122 in 2024. In 2025, Lackawanna County has issued 1,003 PFA orders, but the final total was not available.
Luzerne County also saw an increase in protection-from-abuse orders higher than the state statistic, up from 1,624 in 2023 to 1,673 in 2024 — an increase of 3%. So far in 2025, Luzerne County has issued 1,727 PFA orders.
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Protection from Abuse Order statistics in Lackawanna county from 2015 to 2024. (SUBMITTED)
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Data on protection-from-abuse orders from Luzerne County from 2015 through 2024. (SUBMITTED)
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Protection from Abuse Order statistics in Lackawanna county from 2015 to 2024. (SUBMITTED)
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Risks of domestic violence to law enforcement
Gallagher points out that responding to domestic violence is one of the most dangerous things officers do.
For example, in September, three detectives were killed and two other officers were wounded during an ambush by a suspect in a domestic violence and stalking case in York County. The suspect, Matthew Ruth, was hiding inside his ex-girlfriend’s home and opened fire when officers arrived to serve a warrant related to the stalking charges. Authorities described the motive as being clearly linked to “the hateful scourge of domestic violence.”
Such instances, Gallagher said, emphasize the importance of law enforcement officials being aware of the dangers of responding to instances of domestic violence.
Expediting service
In June, the Pennsylvania legislature unanimously passed Act 23 of 2025, a bill aimed at correcting how service fees are allocated when PFAs are served.
The legislation ensures that law enforcement agencies that serve PFA petitions are reimbursed for that service, rather than limiting the fee to local sheriff’s offices.
Previously, only local sheriffs departments were compensated for serving PFAs. The law also clarifies that only law enforcement officers can serve PFA petitions, rather than private individuals.
The law, championed by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., has its roots in Luzerne County after a county audit showed many municipal police departments were serving PFAs but not being compensated for that service.
“Law enforcement officers put themselves on the line every time they serve a PFA,” Baker said in a statement. “It’s only right that the agencies performing this vital work receive the support and reimbursement they deserve. This bill ensures that fairness is built into the process.”
Supporting victims, going through the process
The Women’s Resource Center is available to help those experiencing abuse and to assist with the process.
Nina Menichelli, legal director of Barbara J. Hart Justice Center, part of the Women’s Resource Center, said anyone can file a PFA against an intimate partner or family member.
“A victim of domestic abuse can file against a spouse or ex-spouse, a domestic partner, a current or former partner, parents, children, persons related by blood or marriage,” she said. “When we talk about intimate partners, dating is enough — even casual dating is enough.”
Those wanting to file a PFA start at the court administration building at the Lackawanna County Government Center, 123 Wyoming Ave., Scranton. Court administrators provide those seeking a PFA with paperwork that needs to be completely filled out.
“You can detail the current abuse and you can also detail past abuse, as well,” Menichelli said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be physical abuse; it can be emotional abuse, the threat of bodily harm, sexual assault, any of those things.”
Menichelli said victims can also establish a long-term pattern of abuse.
“You can also get a protection-from-abuse order for false imprisonment,” she said. “If someone is preventing you from leaving the house, taking your car keys, limiting your access to technology or phones.”
A county judge can then issue a temporary order, which acts just like a permanent order. So, if an abuser violates it, you can call the police and ask them to enforce the order, Menichelli said.
“One caveat is that the person needs to be served and aware of the order,” she said.
After the temporary order is issued, the parties are likely to come before the court within 10 days. If that’s not possible — for example, if one party needs more time to get a lawyer — the temporary order remains in effect until the parties come before a judge.
Even if a temporary order is denied, a hearing before a county judge is still scheduled.
The judge can issue the order for up to three years.
“That depends on the severity of abuse and also on whether or not the PFA is granted by a judge during a hearing, which would mean a finding of abuse, or if the parties make an agreement,” she said.
If the parties make an agreement, the defendant is not admitting that abuse took place. It’s a PFA by agreement.
The judge can also extend a temporary order and revisit the PFA at a later time, either issuing a final PFA or dismissing the order.
If there is not a final order issued, the defendant can have the PFA purged from their record. Although a PFA is a civil order, violation of that order is criminal and the abuser would be charged with indirect criminal contempt.
“If you are looking for a PFA and have a legal advocate or an attorney that could walk you through the process, that would work to your advantage because you’d have a better understanding of what the court is looking for and how the order actually operates,” she said.
The Women’s Resource Center has legal advocates who help someone seeking a PFA order, providing them with information about how to file an order and what to expect during the process.
When appropriate, victims can be referred to the Barbara J. Hart Justice Center for legal representation as well.
Menichelli joined the Women’s Resource Center in 2018 and came from a corporate background.
“I just felt that I needed to help people who were vulnerable, and now more than ever people, especially women, need that help as more and more rights are being taken away from women,” she said.
When asked about the usefulness of a protection-from-abuse order, Menichelli said, although its really only a piece of paper, it motivates abusers to abide by its terms in order to avoid jail.
“For the most part, we have great success in helping people move on from abusive and controlling relationships through a PFA, because it gives the person time and space to keep the abusive party away,” she said. “I think it’s a very important tool to have in order to allow a person to separate from an abusive relationship.”