Anger Management in Michigan: District Court Probation and What Counts

• District court probation. Misdemeanors are handled in district courts, and probation there generally lasts up to two years. Under MCL 771.3 the judge can order counseling and "other lawful conditions," and the law asks that conditions be tailored to your own risks and needs. An anger class is one of the most common for assault and battery, malicious destruction of property or disorderly conduct.
• Circuit court probation for felonies works the same way, through the Department of Corrections' probation agents.
• The 769.4a domestic assault deferral. A first-time domestic assault case can be deferred with the prosecutor's consent. Probation can include "a mandatory counseling program," and the case is dismissed if you finish. You only get this once, and a later domestic case treats it as a prior.
• Custody cases. Family courts weigh domestic violence when deciding custody and may expect a class or a program.

There is no Michigan list or certification for anger management. Several district courts publish local counseling and referral sheets for people on probation, for example in Sterling Heights, Shiawassee County and St. Joseph County. They usually list agencies by phone number rather than naming an anger class, and they are referrals, not limits.

Good Standing Courses is not on any Michigan court's referral sheet. If your probation officer hands you a sheet, ask whether an online class from outside it will count before you pay.

For domestic violence, Michigan courts follow the Michigan Batterer Intervention Services Standards, sent to all courts by the State Court Administrative Office. They call for at least 26 sessions over at least 26 weeks, in single-gender groups of 3 to 15, approved locally each year.

The standards go further: they list approaches that treat poor impulse control or anger management as the main cause of battering among the ones programs must not use. So in a 769.4a deferral or any domestic violence probation, expect your court to require a batterer intervention program, not our class. Good Standing Courses is not a Batterer Intervention Program. That goes for our Impulse Control & Decision Making class too.

Michigan courts don't publish a standard number of hours for anger management. Local providers that serve court referrals commonly run 8 weekly sessions. When the order names hours, it's usually 8 or 12. If your order names weeks, ask your probation officer to put the number of hours in writing.

Paperwork says "impulse control" or "decision making"? That's our Impulse Control & Decision Making class.

1. "Does this court take online anger management certificates?"
2. "Is there a referral sheet I have to use, or can I choose?"
3. "How many hours or sessions, and what is my deadline?"
4. "Is my case a 769.4a deferral? Do I need a batterer intervention program instead?"
5. "Do you want the certificate at my next report date, or emailed?"

Your officer can read our page for probation officers and check any certificate at /verify.

If your court, judge or probation officer doesn't accept your certificate, we refund 100% of the course fee. Send the written rejection within 60 days of finishing; the class you bought must match the type and hours in your order. Read the refund terms.

We never ask for your case number, court or date of birth. If you need them on the certificate, you type them into your own copy of the PDF.

• California
• Texas
• Florida
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Illinois
• Ohio
• Georgia
• North Carolina