Anger Management in Pennsylvania: ARD, County Probation and Your Class

Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) is Pennsylvania's pretrial program for first-time, usually non-violent, offenders. The district attorney decides whether to offer it, and the court sets conditions under the state's criminal procedure rules. The program can last up to two years. An anger management course is a common special condition, set by the county, alongside costs and supervision by the county's adult probation office.

Finish every condition on time and the charges are dismissed. In most cases the arrest record is expunged unless the DA objects within 30 days. Miss a deadline and you can lose the expungement, so the date on your ARD order matters as much as the class itself.

• County probation. Under 42 Pa.C.S. 9763, a judge can set probation conditions only when they are needed and the least restrictive option, after looking at your individual situation. The list includes counseling and anything "reasonably related" to rehabilitation, which is where anger classes fit.
• Custody cases. Under 23 Pa.C.S. 5333, a custody court can order the parties to attend counseling. Where there is abuse, joint counseling is barred and the court may order individual counseling for the abusive party.
• Juvenile court. Judges can attach conditions to juvenile probation in a written order.

Pennsylvania has no statewide list for anger management, and we didn't find a published county list either. Counties refer people to local providers and to programs they already know. Some providers claim that certain counties won't take online certificates; we couldn't confirm that, which is exactly why you should ask.

Good Standing Courses is not on any Pennsylvania county list. Before you buy, ask your ARD or probation officer whether an online certificate meets your condition.

Pennsylvania doesn't run a statewide certification for batterer programs the way many states do. County programs for domestic abuse typically run 24 to 30 weekly sessions. How a county handles a domestic violence condition varies a lot. Philadelphia's Adult Probation and Parole Department, for example, says that cases with a domestic violence condition go to anger management counseling through its own referrals.

If your case involves a partner, don't buy any class until your officer tells you which program they will take. Good Standing Courses is not a Batterer Intervention Program, and a group program for abusive partners is a different thing from an anger class.

We couldn't find any Pennsylvania court or probation office that publishes a standard number of hours for anger management. Local providers describe everything from a few individual sessions to 16-week groups. So in Pennsylvania, more than anywhere, buy what your order or ARD paperwork says. If it says "complete an anger management course" with no number, ask your officer for the hours in writing first.

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

1. "Will the county take an online, self-paced anger management certificate for my ARD?"
2. "How many hours? My paperwork doesn't give a number."
3. "What is the last day to finish, so I don't lose expungement?"
4. "My case involved a partner. Is this an anger management condition or a domestic violence program?"
5. "Do you want the certificate sent to you, to the DA, or to the clerk of courts?"

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.

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