— Advocating for
WOMEN’S DIGNITY & JUSTICE REFORM
MY TWO GOALS.
Ensure criminal enforcement of family court orders respects women’s dignity and rights, and
Reform family court procedures to promote fairness and timely support.
FAMILY-COURT REFORM:
Family-court decisions can have lasting consequences for women’s parenting relationships, financial security, personal safety, professional lives, and independence.
Women may be navigating relationship breakdowns, financial uncertainty, medical recovery, postpartum changes, hysterectomy, surgical menopause, perimenopause, menopause, sleep disruption, or other significant personal challenges while facing consequential legal decisions.
Every woman’s experience is different. These circumstances do not automatically impair judgment or decision-making capacity, and reproductive-health history should never be used as a substitute for an individualized assessment.
However, an important question deserves attention:
Can family-court procedures better identify when a woman may benefit from additional information, guidance, or time before making legal decisions with serious and lasting consequences?
I want to bring this question to legislators, policymakers, legal professionals, and women’s organizations and encourage a thoughtful examination of potential reforms.
Exploring a Family-Court Screening Process.
I want to explore a screening process designed to identify when women may benefit from additional support during consequential family-court proceedings.
We should examine whether screening should be routinely available and whether it should be required at appropriate stages of certain proceedings.
Depending on individual circumstances, support might include:
• Independent legal advice about agreements, stipulations, injunctions, and court orders.
• Clear, plain-language explanations of legal obligations and potential consequences.
• Opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification.
• Reasonable opportunities to reflect before making consequential decisions, when circumstances permit.
• Access to qualified healthcare professionals when health concerns warrant attention.
• Information about practical resources and voluntary support services.
The purpose is to recognize potential support needs early, rather than waiting until a crisis occurs or the consequences of a decision become difficult to reverse.
Any process must protect privacy, autonomy, due process, and the rights of everyone involved. It should not presume incapacity, require unnecessary medical disclosure, or give others automatic authority over a woman’s decisions.
The goal is to support informed and voluntary participation, not to control women or create additional barriers to justice.
Why Early Support Matter
Women navigating family court after childbirth, a hysterectomy, or other women’s health-related issues may experience hormonal changes and extreme emotional distress while making life-changing decisions about relationships, custody, assets, career, and finances. Early support helps protect their rights, promote fairness, and ensure informed legal decision-making during vulnerable periods.
CRIMINAL-LAW REFORM:
Criminal proceedings can have devastating consequences for a woman’s freedom, reputation, family relationships, professional future, and independence. Clear jury instructions and a proper understanding of the law are essential to a fair process.
I have submitted a proposal asking the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases to consider clarifying Criminal Jury Instruction 8.7(b), concerning aggravated cyberstalking involving no-contact injunctions entered in family court.
My interest stems in part from personal experience. A criminal case involving an alleged violation of a no-contact provision arose after I signed a joint stipulation to enter an injunction in family court. That case is over, but representing myself in the criminal proceedings prompted me to examine questions about jury-instruction clarity, the relationship between family-court orders and criminal charges, and outdated laws that were adapted to meet the new digital era.
My goal is not to revisit my case, but to encourage careful examination of the law and potential improvements that may help protect other women. I hope to develop future proposals addressing potential gaps in Florida law.
I welcome support, constructive criticism, and informed feedback from criminal-law professionals, appellate practitioners, legal scholars, policymakers, and others interested in improving this law.
The proposal has been submitted for consideration. Its publication here does not imply endorsement or adoption by the committee or the Florida Supreme Court.
Ginna Arevalo
TWO GOALS. ONE COMMITMENT.
Our commitment is to advance justice reform to ensure that the criminal enforcement of family court orders respects women’s dignity, rights, and due process, and family court procedures have safeguards to ensure women receive the support and protection they deserve.
Justice Reform
My Calling
My commitment stems from personal experience, my former career in personal injury law, my Christian faith, and my belief in women’s dignity.
Following a hysterectomy, I experienced significant hormonal and emotional changes. During this vulnerable period, I stipulated to a family-court no-contact injunction without fully appreciating its legal consequences. Subsequent contact with the petitioner led to a felony case and suspension of my law license.
This experience inspired my commitment to promoting informed legal decisions, compassionate support, and fair procedures that uphold women’s dignity while maintaining accountability.
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QUESTIONS WORTH EXPLORING
My objective is to move beyond identifying problems and toward practical solutions supported by evidence and careful analysis.
Family-Court Reform
• Could screening help identify when women may benefit from additional information, independent legal guidance, or other appropriate support?
• Should screening be routinely available, and in what circumstances might a mandatory process be appropriate?
• Could clearer explanations of agreements and court orders help women understand their obligations and potential consequences?
• How can courts support meaningful participation without relying on assumptions about gender, health, or emotional state?
• What safeguards would prevent screening from becoming a tool of surveillance, coercion, or discrimination?
• What protections already exist, and where might evidence identify opportunities for improvement?
• How can reforms be evaluated for effectiveness, proportionality, and unintended consequences?
Criminal-Law Reform
• Could clearer jury instructions help jurors distinguish an alleged violation of a court order from the elements of the criminal offense charged?
• How should jury instructions address electronic communications in context?
• Are there opportunities to clarify the relationship between family-court orders and subsequent criminal proceedings?
• What changes to jury instructions or legislation merit consideration based on legal analysis and evidence?
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Meaningful justice reform requires collaboration. I welcome connections with:
• Family-law professionals and advocates interested in informed decision-making and procedural fairness.
• Criminal-law professionals, appellate practitioners, and legal scholars interested in jury-instruction reform.
• Legislators and policymakers willing to examine potential family-court reforms.
• Healthcare professionals and researchers with relevant expertise in women’s health.
• Women and community organizations interested in dignity, autonomy, and equal treatment.
You can contribute by reviewing proposals, offering research-based feedback, suggesting practical safeguards, identifying legislative pathways, or helping bring these issues to the attention of policymakers.