If you are working as a licensed nurse in Connecticut, you have already encountered the requirements imposed by the state's Board of Examiners for Nursing before you could practice. You have met the state's educational and testing requirements, have already passed a background check, and have met other licensing criteria. Once you're practicing, of course, you need to take a certain amount of continuing education and periodically renew your license to keep it active. But what happens if you've been charged with a family violence crime or a restraining order has been issued against you? Do you need to report either of these situations to the BON?
In most cases, the answer in Connecticut is no. The BON does not require nurses charged with crimes, including family violence crimes, or nurses who are the subject of a restraining order to disclose either of those to the BON. That said, there may be times when the BON learns of the allegations made against you and decides to investigate or file disciplinary charges. When that happens, call the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team for help. We can be reached at 888.535.3686 or through our website's contact form. We're here to protect your rights and to defend your nursing license.
Family Violence Crimes in Connecticut
Connecticut does not have a separate crime or crimes that focus on domestic violence. Instead, it classifies certain existing crimes as “family violence crimes” based on the relationship between the defendant and the alleged victim or victims. When an alleged crime is designated as a family violence crime, Connecticut law allows the court to enter a protective order on behalf of the alleged victim, requires police and courts to take certain steps to protect the alleged victim, and permits disclosure of information about the allegations to local family violence response and intervention units of the state's judicial system.
“Family violence” has a specific definition in Connecticut. It means:
- An incident that results in “physical harm, bodily injury or assault”
- Threats of violence that create “fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault,” including “stalking or a pattern of threatening”
between “family or household members.” The definition notes that “verbal abuse or argument” does not fall within the definition of family violence “unless there is a present danger and the likelihood that physical violence” will happen.
“Family or household member” is also defined. It means any of the following:
- Spouses or former spouses
- Parents
- Children
- Those related “by blood or marriage.”
- People who live together or who have lived together
- People who have “a child in common”
- Those who are in or “have recently been in” a dating relationship
Under Connecticut law, a “family violence crime” is essentially any crime that, “in addition to its other elements,” includes “an act of family violence to a family or household member.” In addition, violating a court's sentencing or release conditions can also constitute a “family violence crime.”
Note that in order to be charged with a family violence crime, the defendant must be charged with some underlying crime or offense. There is not a separate crime of “family violence” or “domestic violence” in Connecticut. While other states may have separate crimes, such as domestic assault or domestic violence, Connecticut does not.
The Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing does not require nurses to self-report criminal charges to the BON. This means that if you are facing criminal charges – even if the charges are designated as a family violence crime – you are not required to disclose those charges to the BON. And because Connecticut does not require criminal background checks for nurses, even if you are convicted of a crime, you may not have to disclose that conviction to the BON. (Note, however, that as of October 2025, Connecticut will become a Nurse Licensure Compact State, adopting a criminal background check requirement for nurses applying for a multistate license.)
That said, there is nothing that would prevent a prosecutor or court official from reporting criminal charges or convictions to the BON. As noted below, anybody can file a misconduct complaint with the BON, and such a complaint could be based on the criminal allegations that you are facing. That is why it makes sense to review your situation with an experienced member of the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team if you've been charged with any crime, including a family violence crime, in Connecticut. We can discuss your situation with you, advise whether you need to self-report to the BON, and if so, help you craft the kind of report that will help preserve your ability to work as a licensed nurse in the state.
Our attorneys can also be enormously helpful if the BON decides to open an investigation against you based on a self-reported criminal conviction or for any other reason. Being investigated for alleged misconduct can be very stressful and, for the vast majority of nurses, is not something they've ever been through before. Our attorneys have. We know what the investigative procedures are, what the investigator has the right to do and to ask, and how to respond in a way that meets your license obligations.
When it comes to your own interview with the BON investigator, we can prepare you for what is most likely an unusual situation – one where you are the focus of questions that are designed to explore a topic that may be difficult for you to talk about. This is a situation where practice helps – learning to listen to the questions you're asked, to make sure you understand exactly what you're being asked, and responding to that precise question are all skills that can be learned and practiced. And your attorney can be with you during your interview, to help make sure you only respond to clear and fair questions that you understand.
If the BON brings charges against you because of a criminal matter you've been involved in, the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team can defend you and will make sure your rights are protected throughout the process. We can negotiate with the BON to resolve your case in as favorable a way as possible, and if it goes to a hearing, we will vigorously defend you against the charges.
Restraining Orders in Connecticut
There are two types of protective orders that can be issued in domestic violence cases in Connecticut. One is called a protective order and issued when a defendant is charged with a family violence crime. The second is called a restraining order and is issued when an alleged victim petitions the Superior Court requesting the order.
The protective order issued in a family violence criminal case can require the defendant not to threaten, harass, or assault the alleged victim and can prohibit the defendant from entering the victim's home. It can also prohibit the defendant from injuring or threatening any family pet.
A restraining order issued as the result of a petition filed with the Superior Court can be much broader. The petition can be filed by any “family or household member” who alleges that they are “the victim of domestic violence” by “another family or household member.”
In addition to what a protective order can require, the restraining order can impose a number of requirements on the person named in the order (who is known as the “respondent”), including:
- A prohibition against terminating any utilities or insurance policies
- A prohibition against transferring assets or property owned or leased by the applicant for the restraining order
- Awarding the applicant temporary custody of any children
- Requiring them to allow the applicant to have “temporary possession of an automobile.”
- Giving the applicant access to checkbooks, insurance documentation, identity documents, keys, and other personal effects
- Requiring the respondent to make rent or mortgage payments as well as utility payments
- Requiring them to maintain existing insurance coverage
- A requirement that they provide “financial support for the benefit of any dependent child”
- Ordering the respondent to give up possession of any firearm
Having a restraining order issued against you can be very difficult. In addition to being prohibited from contacting the petitioner, you may be evicted from your home while at the same time being required to continue paying for the expenses associated with that home. You may not be able to see your child or children without court permission or to contact the petitioner except through their attorney.
Even though accepting and complying with a restraining order can be difficult, you should make sure you fully understand what it requires of you (and prohibits you from doing) and that you follow the order. That's because if you fail to do so, you can be charged with contempt, and the court can “impose such sanctions as the court deems appropriate.” That's broad language that essentially puts you at the mercy of the judge who issued the order.
What you need to do if you want to modify the terms of a restraining order is to speak with your attorney about it. It is possible to ask the judge to modify a restraining order, and in some cases, you may be able to get the petitioner to agree to the modification. In other cases, the judge may need to hold a hearing, and you may have to have your attorney argue for your requested modification. Asking the court to modify a restraining order is far, far better than simply violating the terms of the order.
With all of that said, you are not required to disclose the existence of a restraining order against you to the BON.
Family Violence Allegations, Restraining Orders, and Your Nursing License
While Connecticut is one of the less stringent states when it comes to requiring nurses to disclose criminal allegations and convictions to the BON, that doesn't mean that the BON is not going to hear about those or other domestic violence allegations.
Anybody can file a misconduct complaint against a nurse in Connecticut and can include in that complaint any information they want. While most nursing misconduct complaints are focused on the nurse's work as a nurse, there is nothing to stop anyone from notifying the BON that a nurse has been charged with or convicted of any crime, including a family violence crime. It is then up to the BON to decide whether to investigate the nurse as a result.
If the BON does take up the matter, it will appoint an investigator who will review the complaint and, almost certainly, interview you if you are the nurse named in the complaint. The investigator may also interview others who may have relevant information, including your work colleagues, family members, and friends. Throughout all of this, it is enormously helpful to be working with an experienced attorney from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team, someone who can help you understand what's going on, who can defend your rights, and who can act as an intermediary between you and the BON.
The Lento Law Firm Can Help You Protect Your Nursing License in Connecticut
If you are a nurse who has been charged with any crime in Connecticut, including a crime that has been designated as a family violence crime, you need the help of one of the experienced members of the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team to help you protect your nursing license. Our attorneys have years of experience helping nurses in Connecticut and states across the country protect their licenses in disciplinary investigations and proceedings. We can help you understand the extent to which the charges you face can have an impact on your nursing license, and if the BON learns of them and decides to investigate you, we can protect your rights during that investigation. We can also advise your criminal attorney on the effect that any particular resolution of your case may have on your nursing license.
We are available to talk and are ready to help you with your questions about your nursing license. Whether you've been charged with a crime or have been accused of domestic violence by someone who has secured a restraining order against you, it's important to take steps to defend yourself and your license. Call us today at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to reach out to us and we will set up a time to talk about your case and how the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team can help protect your license.
