The violation of a protective order is a serious offense, and can incur penalties as serious as jail time. If someone is convicted of violating a protective order, the law dictates that they must be sentenced to a period of active incarceration. Working with a lawyer can help determine this length of time. They must be given a jail sentence as a punishment even though it may only be a misdemeanor.
Under no circumstances may the entire jail sentence be suspended. Practically speaking, this means that someone can get a sentence of up to 12 months in jail. Unlike many cases where the jail sentence can be completely suspended, if a person violates the order, their jail sentence cannot be completely suspended.