What should I do after a domestic violence accusation?

If you face a domestic violence accusation, the reaction you have can help or hurt your case. You need to learn the proper way to respond and the next steps to take so that you have a chance to avoid a conviction for the charges. 

FindLaw explains that while every situation is different, you will need to take a few steps to protect yourself and prepare for potential criminal charges. 

Let others know 

You should be proactive and alert your family, friends and others about the situation. It is possible that if the accusation is not true, it is a retaliation tactic, and the other person may try to turn everyone against you. Getting ahead of things and touching base with everyone first can help prevent that from happening. 

Censor your response

Ideally, you should completely leave the situation. Just walk away without further fighting or comment. Anything you say or do could become evidence against you, so make sure that your reaction is as neutral as possible. Never do anything that could escalate the situation or react in a violent way as this could backfire on you and lead to further trouble. 

Protect yourself

Finally, you need to take steps to protect yourself and your assets. If you can, change your passwords to all accounts and ensure that you restrict access to any email accounts or other things the other person could use to create fake evidence, such as threatening emails. You also need to gather as much information as you can to begin to establish your own evidence to show your innocence.