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Vermont court guide

Anger Management in Vermont: Diversion, Reparative Boards and DOC Probation

Will a Vermont court take an online class?

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

In Vermont, an anger class usually comes from one of four places: a court diversion contract, a community reparative board, a deferred sentence, or probation run by the state Department of Corrections. There is no county probation in Vermont, so the person who checks your class is a diversion coordinator, a board volunteer or a DOC officer.

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

Vermont at a glance

Provider list
No statewide list. Vermont certifies partner-abuse programs only.
Typical length
8 hours for many diversion and board agreements; 12 or 16 for more.
Partner cases
A certified DVAP of weekly groups. This class can’t replace it.
On this page

How Vermont cases lead to an anger class

Vermont runs one trial court, the Vermont Superior Court. Since the 2010 court reform, its Criminal Division sits in all fourteen counties and hears both misdemeanors and felonies. There is no separate district court and no city court for criminal charges. Probation is not a county job either. Every adult on probation in Vermont is supervised by the state Department of Corrections (DOC) through its twelve Probation and Parole field offices.

No Vermont statute uses the words "anger management." Courts and programs add it through broad powers. These are the usual routes:

  • Adult court diversion. Under 3 V.S.A. § 164, the Attorney General must run an adult court diversion program in every county, for people referred before charges are filed and after. The State's Attorney makes the referral. You sign a contract with the local diversion program, finish the tasks in it, and the charge is dismissed. A diversion contract can include an apology letter, restitution, community service or a class on anger or decision making. Local diversion work is often done by a community justice center or a county diversion office.
  • Community reparative boards. Vermont is known for this one. Under 28 V.S.A. chapter 12, a judge can send a person on reparative probation to a panel of trained community volunteers. The board meets with you (and sometimes the person harmed), talks about the damage done and writes an agreement for repairing it. The board sets its own tasks. An anger class may be one of them, along with a letter, a talk with the victim or work for the town.
  • Deferred sentence. Under 13 V.S.A. § 7041, the court can put off sentencing and place you on probation on conditions it chooses, usually after a written agreement with the State's Attorney. If you finish, the court strikes the guilty finding and the record is generally cleared. An anger class is a common condition in a deferred sentence after an assault or disorderly conduct charge.
  • Probation. Under 28 V.S.A. § 252, the judge may set any condition reasonably needed to help you live a law-abiding life. The list in the law includes medical or psychiatric treatment and going to a place for instruction. Anger classes fall under this power. Your DOC probation officer then tracks whether you did it.

The Vermont Supreme Court has upheld a probation revocation where a person on probation had completed none of the anger management counseling his conditions required (State v. Manfredi, Docket 2014-167). The order is not precedent, but the lesson is clear: start early and make sure the class you pick matches the condition.

Burlington, Rutland, Barre and St. Albans: who checks your class

Your court and your field office depend on the county where the case was filed:

  • Burlington (Chittenden County). Cases go to the Chittenden Unit of the Superior Court, Criminal Division. DOC supervision runs out of the Burlington Probation and Parole office on Cherry Street. Chittenden is the busiest unit in the state, and the Burlington Community Justice Center runs both court diversion and reparative panels here.
  • Rutland (Rutland County). The Rutland Unit hears the case and the Rutland Probation and Parole office supervises. Rutland has an active community justice center that runs reparative panels and court diversion.
  • Barre and Montpelier (Washington County). The Washington Unit sits in Barre, and the Barre field office covers central Vermont.
  • St. Albans (Franklin County). The Franklin Unit and the St. Albans field office handle cases in northwest Vermont.

The other DOC field offices are in Bennington, Brattleboro, Hartford (White River Junction), Middlebury, Morrisville, Newport, St. Johnsbury and Springfield.

Is there a Vermont list of anger management providers?

We found no statewide list of anger management providers in Vermont. No state agency reviews or licenses these classes, and no court rule sets standards for them. The Vermont Council on Domestic Violence certifies programs for partner abuse cases only, and that is a different track (see the next section).

What you may meet instead:

  • DOC runs its own programs for people under supervision. A probation officer may point you to a DOC group or a local agency first.
  • A community justice center or reparative board may suggest a local class they have used before.
  • Some diversion coordinators hand out a short resource sheet with local options.

These are referral habits, not a closed list. If you get a sheet, ask whether a class from outside it can count. Good Standing Courses is not on any Vermont court, diversion, reparative board or Department of Corrections list.

Not for domestic violence orders

Vermont partner cases go to a Domestic Violence Accountability Program

Vermont handles partner abuse on its own track. Under 15 V.S.A. § 1172, the Vermont Council on Domestic Violence keeps standards for intervention programs for people who use violence against a partner, and runs a process to certify that programs meet them. These programs used to be called batterer intervention programs. Today Vermont calls them Domestic Violence Accountability Programs (DVAPs).

Here is what we could confirm about them:

  • About a dozen DVAPs are certified across the state, and each one goes through recertification every two years.
  • Groups meet weekly, last about 90 minutes and are led by two co-facilitators.
  • One provider described its program as 27 weeks. The current standards give programs some room to shape their own curriculum, so the exact length may vary.
  • Referrals come from the court, from DOC as a probation condition, or from the Department for Children and Families. A 2022 review found that most recent referrals came through DOC.
  • Since the pandemic, some groups meet live by Zoom. That is a live group with a facilitator, not a self-paced course.

If your case involves a partner, an ex, a relief from abuse order or a domestic assault charge, check whether the judge or DOC wants a DVAP. Good Standing Courses is not a Batterer Intervention Program or a Domestic Violence Accountability Program, and it cannot replace one. An online anger class will not meet a DVAP condition in Vermont.

Will a Vermont court accept an online anger management class?

We found no Vermont statute, court rule or DOC policy that bans online anger classes or says they must come from a set provider. Section 252 and the deferred sentence law leave conditions to the judge, and diversion contracts and reparative agreements are written case by case. So the person who wrote your condition, or who is tracking it, makes the call.

That person may be a State's Attorney's diversion coordinator, a reparative board, a DOC probation officer or the judge. Some will be fine with a self-paced course. Others may want a local group they can call. If your order says "in person" or names an agency, follow it.

Things that make it easier for that person to sign off:

  • The hours on the certificate are the same as the hours in your contract or order.
  • Start and finish dates both appear, so it is clear the work took time.
  • There is a code they can type into our site to confirm the certificate is real.
  • You bring it up at your first meeting, and you keep a copy of their reply, such as an email.

If your Vermont officer, board or judge still turns the certificate down, the refund below applies.

How long Vermont anger classes usually are

Vermont law sets no hours for anger classes. The number comes from your diversion contract, your board agreement or your probation order. Our honest read:

  • 8 hours fits many diversion contracts and reparative board agreements for a first, low-level charge. Medium confidence.
  • 12 hours fits orders modeled on a weekly group that runs about three months. Medium to low confidence.
  • 16 hours or more fits a deferred sentence or probation after a more serious assault, or a second case. Low confidence.
  • 4 hours is rare. Pick it only if your paperwork says 4.

We have less to go on in Vermont than in states with a published standard. If your paper gives no hours, ask before you enroll.

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 Vermont officer, board or diversion coordinator before you start

  1. "My contract says anger management. How many hours do you need?"
  2. "Will a self-paced online course count, or do you want a group that meets in Vermont?"
  3. "Is this a reparative board task, a diversion task or a probation condition, and who signs it off?"
  4. "Does my case need a Domestic Violence Accountability Program instead of an anger class?"
  5. "When is it due: before my next board meeting, my diversion closing date or my next DOC check-in?"
  6. "Do you want the certificate emailed, dropped off at the field office or filed with the court?"

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

Vermont: questions and answers

Is there a court approved anger management list in Vermont?

There is no state list for anger management in Vermont. The Vermont Council on Domestic Violence certifies partner abuse programs only. Our class is court-accepted in most jurisdictions, your judge, board or officer decides, and you get a full refund if they turn down the certificate.

Will a Vermont court accept an online anger management class?

Vermont has no statewide rule for or against online anger classes. The judge who set the condition, the diversion coordinator or your DOC officer makes the call. Ask at the start and save their answer.

My reparative board told me to take an anger class. Can I do it online?

It depends on the board. Reparative boards write their own agreements, so ask the board coordinator before you enroll and bring the certificate to your closing meeting.

I live in Burlington. Who checks my class?

If you are on diversion, the Chittenden County diversion program or community justice center checks it. On probation or a deferred sentence, your officer at the Burlington Probation and Parole office does.

My case is in Rutland or Barre. Is it any different?

The rules are the same statewide. What changes is the local office: the Rutland or Barre DOC field office, and the community justice center that runs the reparative panel in that area.

Can this class replace a Domestic Violence Accountability Program?

No. A DVAP is a weekly live group, about 90 minutes a session for many months, run by a program the Council on Domestic Violence certifies. An anger class is a different thing.

Is the DUI program the same as an anger class?

No. After an impaired driving conviction, Vermont requires the Impaired Driver Rehabilitation Program (IDRP), run through the Department of Health, to get a full license back. Our anger class does not count toward IDRP.

I am on a deferred sentence. What happens if I skip the class?

The court can impose the sentence it put off. Vermont courts do revoke probation over missed anger classes, so finish early and keep your certificate.

Guides for other states