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South Carolina court guide

Anger Management in South Carolina: PTI, Summary Courts and Probation

Will a South Carolina court take an online class?

There is no state list for anger management in South Carolina. Our class is court-accepted in most jurisdictions, your judge, solicitor or agent decides, and you get a full refund if they turn down the certificate.

In South Carolina an anger class usually comes from one of three places: a magistrate or municipal judge who suspends a short sentence, a circuit solicitor running Pretrial Intervention, or a General Sessions judge who puts you on probation with the state. Each one has its own person who decides whether your class counts.

A tidy waiting line marked by floor stickers in a bright, generic service office, with a few empty chairs and a counter.

South Carolina at a glance

Provider list
No state list. Solicitors list batterer programs only.
Typical length
8 hours for most summary court and first PTI cases.
Domestic violence
A solicitor-approved program of 26+ weeks. Not this class.
On this page

How South Carolina cases lead to an anger class

No South Carolina statute names anger management as a required class for adults. It shows up because judges and solicitors are allowed to set their own terms. Where it comes from changes who reads your certificate.

  • Summary courts: magistrate and municipal. Most first fights, shoving matches and disorderly conduct charges are heard in a county magistrate court or a city municipal court. Third degree assault and battery under S.C. Code 16-3-600(E) is a summary court offense, with up to 30 days in jail. Under 22-3-800 a magistrate can suspend the jail time on terms and conditions, and 14-25-75 gives municipal judges the same power. An anger class is a common term. One detail matters a lot: the same magistrate statute says it does not give a magistrate the right to place anyone on probation. So there is often no officer at all. The court itself, or its clerk, is who you prove completion to.
  • Pretrial Intervention (PTI). The Pretrial Intervention Act starts at S.C. Code 17-22-10. Each of the 16 circuit solicitors runs PTI for their circuit and keeps direct control of it (17-22-30), though they may contract out services. You sign a written agreement and follow the conditions the solicitor sets (17-22-90). Finish the program and the solicitor enters a noncriminal disposition, which means the charge is dismissed and you can ask to have the arrest record destroyed (17-22-150). If your agreement lists an anger class, it is the solicitor's PTI staff who check it, not a judge.
  • Other solicitor programs. Solicitors also run an Alcohol Education Program for people aged 17 to 20 (17-22-510), and public disorderly conduct is one of the charges it can cover. There is a Traffic Education Program too. Some solicitors add their own diversion tracks. These rarely list anger classes, but some coordinators add one after a heated incident.
  • General Sessions probation. Felonies and more serious misdemeanors go to circuit court, called the Court of General Sessions. A judge of a court of record can suspend a sentence and place you on probation (24-21-410). Probation can last up to five years (24-21-440). Under 24-21-430 the judge can add any condition the statute does not prohibit, and anger classes are a frequent pick. The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS) supervises you. Its standard conditions also say you must follow your agent's instructions and any further conditions the Department sets, so an agent can add a class too.

South Carolina does have a conditional discharge, but it is mainly for first-time drug possession, not for assault or disorderly conduct. If your paper uses that phrase, ask your lawyer which statute it means.

Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg and Myrtle Beach: who handles your case

South Carolina's 16 judicial circuits each cover one or more counties, and the solicitor for that circuit runs PTI there. Summary courts are separate: one set for the county (magistrates) and one for each city that keeps its own court.

  • Charleston. The Ninth Circuit Solicitor covers Charleston and Berkeley counties. Its PTI program lists community service or restitution, court observation and drug treatment or counseling with random tests. Small cases may be in a Charleston County magistrate court or the City of Charleston Municipal Court.
  • Columbia. The Fifth Circuit Solicitor covers Richland and Kershaw counties. Columbia Municipal Court and the Richland County magistrate courts handle the summary cases.
  • Greenville. The Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor covers Greenville and Pickens counties and posts a separate PTI sheet for each county.
  • Spartanburg. The Seventh Circuit Solicitor covers Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
  • Myrtle Beach and Horry County. The Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor covers Horry and Georgetown counties and runs PTI from Conway. Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Conway each have a city court for local cases.

None of these offices, from what we could find online, publishes a rule saying an anger class must be in person. They also do not post an anger class list. That can change from one coordinator or judge to the next, so the safest move is to ask the person named on your paperwork.

Is there a South Carolina list of anger management providers?

No. We found no statewide list of anger management providers in South Carolina, and no state office reviews them. The lists that do exist cover other things:

  • Batterer intervention roster. Each year the circuit solicitors publish a joint roster of batterers' intervention and treatment programs, posted by the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination. Some providers on it have "anger management" in their business name, and older versions marked a few programs as online. Even so, it is a roster for partner violence cases only. Being on it does not make a program an anger class list, and being off it does not bar an anger class.
  • SCDPPPS approved providers. The Department keeps standards and an approved-provider process for the services it refers people to, such as batterer intervention, substance use and sex offender treatment. We found no SCDPPPS standard for anger management classes.
  • Local referral sheets. A PTI coordinator, a magistrate's clerk or a probation agent may hand you names of local counselors. That is a starting point, not a rule.

Good Standing Courses is not on any South Carolina solicitor, summary court or SCDPPPS list, and we do not claim to be.

Not for domestic violence orders

Criminal domestic violence (CDV) and partner cases in South Carolina

South Carolina handles partner violence under S.C. Code 16-25-20, which splits domestic violence into degrees. Third degree domestic violence can be tried in summary court. When a judge suspends a CDV sentence, the law ties that suspension to completion of a domestic violence intervention program, to the satisfaction of the court. The program must be selected and approved by the circuit solicitor where the case was charged. If you move to another circuit, that circuit's solicitor takes over the choice. Nobody can be turned away because they cannot afford it.

PTI has its own version of this rule. A first CDV charge is not automatically barred from PTI, but 17-22-90 says the person must agree in writing to finish a batterer's treatment program the circuit solicitor picks and approves.

How long is that program? SCDPPPS published Batterer's Intervention Program Standards in June 2024 for people it supervises. Under those standards a program runs at least 26 weeks, not counting intake, orientation or exit sessions. Weekly sessions last at least 90 minutes without breaks. Groups are split by gender. Web-based groups are allowed, but they are live, with two to eight people, and your camera has to stay on you the whole time in a quiet room. Providers must hold a solicitor's approval letter and are reviewed every two years.

So an online anger class cannot stand in for this. Good Standing Courses is not a Batterer Intervention Program or a domestic violence intervention program, and it does not replace one. If your charge, bond or order mentions a household member, a partner or an order of protection, ask whether the court or solicitor wants batterer treatment before you choose a class anything.

Will a South Carolina court accept an online anger management class?

We found no South Carolina statute, Supreme Court rule or SCDPPPS policy that addresses online anger classes either way. The statutes leave the terms to the judge (22-3-800, 14-25-75, 24-21-430) or to the solicitor (17-22-90). In plain words, whoever set the condition decides what meets it.

In practice that means:

  • Summary court: the magistrate or municipal judge decides. With no probation officer in the picture, you often hand proof to the clerk or bring it to a compliance date.
  • PTI: the solicitor's PTI coordinator decides, under the written agreement you signed.
  • Probation: your SCDPPPS agent and the sentencing judge decide.

Some judges write "in person" or a provider's name into the order. If yours does, follow it.

Things that make it easier for a South Carolina judge, coordinator or agent to sign off:

  • Your paper's wording and our class title line up, for example "anger management, 8 hours".
  • The certificate shows the start and finish dates, so it is clear the hours were not rushed into one evening.
  • The person reviewing it can confirm it themselves on our verify page, with no phone calls.
  • You show them the class before you choose a class, and you save their reply by text or email.

If your judge, coordinator or agent still says no, the refund below covers you.

How long South Carolina anger classes usually are

South Carolina law sets no hours for anger classes. Hours come from the order, the PTI agreement or the agent. Our best read, and how sure we are:

  • 8 hours fits most summary court sentences and first PTI cases, where the judge or solicitor wants a short class. Medium confidence.
  • 12 hours shows up when the order follows a weekly group format of around 10 to 12 sessions. Low to medium confidence.
  • 16 hours or more is more likely on General Sessions probation or a repeat charge. Low to medium confidence.
  • 4 hours is uncommon. Pick it only if your paper says 4.

South Carolina publishes less on this than many states, so treat these as rough guides. If the order is silent on hours, get a number from the court or your coordinator first.

Choose your hours

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

Enrollment is currently closed.

Court-accepted in most jurisdictions. Educational course, not therapy. Acceptance is decided by your court or officer. See a sample certificate

Ask your officer first

What to ask your South Carolina judge, PTI coordinator or agent before you start

  1. "Does my sentence sheet or PTI agreement say anger management, and for how many hours?"
  2. "Will a self-paced online course work, or does the solicitor's office or the court want a local group?"
  3. "Is this a CDV case where the solicitor expects batterer treatment instead of an anger class?"
  4. "When is the class due: before my compliance date, my PTI end date or my next meeting with you?"
  5. "Where does the certificate go: the magistrate's clerk, the city court, the PTI office or my SCDPPPS agent?"

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

South Carolina: questions and answers

Is there a court approved anger management list in South Carolina?

There is no state list for anger management in South Carolina. The circuit solicitors publish a roster for batterer intervention programs only. Our class is court-accepted in most jurisdictions, your judge, solicitor or agent decides, and you get a full refund if they turn down the certificate.

Will a South Carolina court accept an online anger management class?

There is no statewide rule for or against it. The magistrate or municipal judge, the PTI coordinator or your SCDPPPS agent makes the call. Check with them and get the yes in a text or email.

My case is in Charleston. Who looks at my certificate?

If you are in Ninth Circuit PTI, the solicitor's diversion staff. If a Charleston County magistrate or the City of Charleston Municipal Court suspended your sentence, the court or its clerk. On probation, your SCDPPPS agent.

I'm in Columbia. Is Richland County different?

We found no published Richland County or Columbia Municipal Court rule on online anger classes. Fifth Circuit PTI sets its own conditions, so read your agreement and ask the coordinator.

Can PTI in Greenville or Myrtle Beach include an anger class?

Yes, if the solicitor puts it in your agreement. The Thirteenth Circuit (Greenville) and Fifteenth Circuit (Horry County) each run their own PTI, and the agreement you sign lists what you must finish.

Can this class count for a CDV charge?

No. A CDV sentence or PTI for a CDV charge calls for a batterer program chosen by the circuit solicitor, at least 26 weeks under SCDPPPS standards. An anger class is a separate thing.

The magistrate suspended my sentence but I have no probation officer. Who gets proof?

Usually the magistrate court itself. Magistrates cannot place people on probation, so file the certificate with the clerk or bring it to your compliance date, as your sentence sheet says.

Is this the same as ADSAP for a DUI?

No. DUI cases go through ADSAP, run by county alcohol and drug abuse authorities. Our class does not replace it.

Guides for other states