In Illinois, it is a crime to violate an order of protection. Once a person has been served notice that there is a court order against them, they have a responsibility to adhere to that order. If a person knowingly violates it, or if they fail to commit an act that was ordered by the court, he or she can be convicted under this section of Illinois law.
These sections also discuss situations in which a failure to report domestic violence can become a crime. These charges include interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, which occurs when a person commits an act of domestic violence and then attempts to stop the victim from reporting it. In this case, Illinois legislators attempt to protect the rights of victims of domestic violence.
Need an Illinois criminal defense attorney? If you've been arrested for assault or battery in Illinois, call our Chicago criminal defense attorneys today at (312) 466-9466 to discuss your case.
The text below comes from Article 12 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961. This law may have changed -- please read the important legal disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Sec. 12-3.4. Violation of an order of protection.
(720 ILCS 5/12-3.4)
(a) A person commits violation of an order of protection if:
(1) He or she commits an act which was prohibited by a court or fails to commit an act which was ordered by a court in violation of:
(i) a remedy in a valid order of protection authorized under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (14), or (14.5) of subsection (b) of Section 214 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986,
(ii) a remedy, which is substantially similar to the remedies authorized under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (14) or (14.5) of subsection (b) of Section 214 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, in a valid order of protection, which is authorized under the laws of another state, tribe or United States territory,
(iii) any other remedy when the act constitutes a crime against the protected parties as the term protected parties is defined in Section 112A-4 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963; and
(2) Such violation occurs after the offender has been served notice of the contents of the order, pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 or any substantially similar statute of another state, tribe or United States territory, or otherwise has acquired actual knowledge of the contents of the order.
An order of protection issued by a state, tribal or territorial court related to domestic or family violence shall be deemed valid if the issuing court had jurisdiction over the parties and matter under the law of the state, tribe or territory. There shall be a presumption of validity where an order is certified and appears authentic on its face.
(a-5) Failure to provide reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard shall be an affirmative defense to any charge or process filed seeking enforcement of a foreign order of protection.
(b) For purposes of this Section, an "order of protection" may have been issued in a criminal or civil proceeding.
(c) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to diminish the inherent authority of the courts to enforce their lawful orders through civil or criminal contempt proceedings.
(d) Violation of an order of protection under subsection (a) of this Section is a Class A misdemeanor. Violation of an order of protection under subsection (a) of this Section is a Class 4 felony if the defendant has any prior conviction under this Code for domestic battery (Section 12-3.2) or violation of an order of protection (Section 12-30). Violation of an order of protection is a Class 4 felony if the defendant has any prior conviction under this Code for first degree murder (Section 9-1), attempt to commit first degree murder (Section 8-4), aggravated domestic battery (Section 12-3.3), aggravated battery (Section 12-4), heinous battery (Section 12-4.1), aggravated battery with a firearm (Section 12-4.2), aggravated battery of a child (Section 12-4.3), aggravated battery of an unborn child (Section 12-4.4), aggravated battery of a senior citizen (Section 12-4.6), stalking (Section 12-7.3), aggravated stalking (Section 12-7.4), criminal sexual assault (Section 12-13), aggravated criminal sexual assault (12-14), kidnapping (Section 10-1), aggravated kidnapping (Section 10-2), predatory criminal sexual assault of a child (Section 12-14.1), aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Section 12-16), unlawful restraint (Section 10-3), aggravated unlawful restraint (Section 10-3.1), aggravated arson (Section 20-1.1), or aggravated discharge of a firearm (Section 24-1.2), when any of these offenses have been committed against a family or household member as defined in Section 112A-3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. The court shall impose a minimum penalty of 24 hours imprisonment for defendant's second or subsequent violation of any order of protection; unless the court explicitly finds that an increased penalty or such period of imprisonment would be manifestly unjust. In addition to any other penalties, the court may order the defendant to pay a fine as authorized under Section 5-9-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections or to make restitution to the victim under Section 5-5-6 of the Unified Code of Corrections. In addition to any other penalties, including those imposed by Section 5-9-1.5 of the Unified Code of Corrections, the court shall impose an additional fine of $20 as authorized by Section 5-9-1.11 of the Unified Code of Corrections upon any person convicted of or placed on supervision for a violation of this Section. The additional fine shall be imposed for each violation of this Section.
(e) The limitations placed on law enforcement liability by Section 305 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 apply to actions taken under this Section. (Source: P.A. 91-112, eff. 10-1-99; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 92-827, eff. 8-22-02.)
Sec. 12-3.5. Interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.
(720 ILCS 5/12-3.5)
(a) A person commits the offense of interfering with the reporting of domestic violence when, after having committed an act of domestic violence, he or she prevents or attempts to prevent the victim of or a witness to the act of domestic violence from calling a 9-1-1 emergency telephone system, obtaining medical assistance, or making a report to any law enforcement official.
(b) For the purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the indicated meanings:
(1) "Domestic violence" shall have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 112A-3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963.
(2) "Family or household members" shall have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 112A-3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963.
(c) Sentence. Interfering with the reporting of domestic violence is a Class A misdemeanor. (Source: P.A. 90-118, eff. 1-1-98.)
Return to Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 Table of Contents
DISCLAIMER: These excerpts from the law are provided for reference purposes only. Visitors to our Chicago criminal defense lawyer website should be aware that Illinois criminal laws have been amended many times and that Illinois crime laws posted on this site may not be current. In addition, Illinois criminal case law defines precedents for legal determinations that are not defined in the original laws.