The Maria da Penha Law was created to prevent domestic and family violence, ensuring the protection of women through legal actions to the men. In this way, they begin to experience multiple livingness while in legal course. The study aimed to elucidate the legal and police experience of men in criminal prosecution for domestic violence. An exploratory and descriptive, qualitative study with 23 men criminally charged with domestic violence. The data were collected through individual interviews and focus group. Then, they were organized by NVIVO® 11 software, and Collective Subject Discourse method. The results revealed the experience of men in the following legal and police areas: the flagrant, the police station, the prison and jurisdiction of domestic and family violence against women. The speeches point to a legal and police experience permeated by situations of embarrassment, humiliation and violence, in addition to curtailing the rights of defense in all areas. It was also possible to reveal the refusal of their act as violence and trivialization of it. Whereas we recognize the necessity to punish male perpetrators, it is essential to think about strategies that ens ure such punishment without losing sight the human rights and guarantee right to defense.
