Arizona Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Arizona that involves anger management, parenting, co-parenting, or substance-abuse education.
What does Clearway offer?
People are sometimes ordered or referred to an educational program as part of a family-law, custody, probation, or other Arizona court-related matter. The type of program required can depend on the circumstances of the case and the exact wording of the court order.
Clearway Institute offers four self-paced online courses: anger management, parenting, co-parenting, and substance-abuse education. Not every course is appropriate for every court order, and completing an online course does not automatically mean a particular Arizona court, probation department, or agency will accept it — always read your order carefully and confirm the required program with the court, probation officer, attorney, or other referring agency when you're not sure.
Which type of class do you need?
Start with whichever matches your order or situation — each course page has the full curriculum before you enroll.
What if a Arizona court ordered it?
Arizona has a statute on this. A.R.S. § 13-3601.01 directs a court to order a person convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense to complete a treatment program from a facility approved under Department of Health Services standards. The person pays the program's cost, and the program reports to the court whether the person attended and finished. For a repeat offense within 60 months, the judge may also impose supervised probation.
On the civil side, A.R.S. § 13-3602 lets a court that issued an order of protection after a hearing require the defendant to complete a domestic violence offender treatment program approved by the Department of Health Services, run by a probation department, or otherwise deemed appropriate. In custody cases, A.R.S. § 25-403.03 lets a court order offender intervention or counseling. Confirm exactly what your own order requires before enrolling in any course.
What's the difference between classes?
Parenting vs. co-parenting. Parenting covers general child-development, discipline, and communication skills, and comes up in a wide range of family cases. Co-parenting is built specifically for separated or divorcing parents — coordinating two households, handling custody transitions, and keeping kids out of the middle — and is the more common requirement in a custody or divorce order.
Anger management vs. a certified intervention program. Many states, Arizona included, treat general educational anger-management coursework as legally distinct from a state-certified batterer intervention, family-violence intervention, or abuser-treatment program ordered specifically in a domestic-violence case — see “What if a Arizona court ordered it?” above for how that distinction works here. If your order names a specific certified program by name, an educational anger-management course usually isn't an automatic substitute — check with your court.
Where can I verify requirements?
The most reliable answer always comes from whoever issued your order — the court clerk, your probation or parole officer, your attorney, or the agency that referred you. Below are free, Arizona-specific places to start if you need legal help, counseling, or crisis support along the way.
Legal reference material
For anyone who wants to read the underlying statutes for themselves, here is the reference material this guide is based on — Arizona civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Best interests in legal decision-makingA.R.S. § 25-403
Arizona courts decide legal decision-making and parenting time by weighing factors about the child's relationships, adjustment, health, and wishes. Whether there has been domestic violence or child abuse, as defined in § 25-403.03, is one listed factor.
Domestic violence and child abuse in custodyA.R.S. § 25-403.03
A parent found to have committed domestic violence faces a rebuttable presumption against decision-making authority or parenting time. The court may order an offender intervention program or counseling but may not treat a certificate of completion alone as proof of rehabilitation.
Orders of protectionA.R.S. § 13-3602
A person can petition for an order of protection at no filing or service fee. An order takes effect on service and expires two years after service. After a hearing, the court may require the defendant to complete a domestic violence offender treatment program.
Criminal law
AssaultA.R.S. § 13-1203
Intentionally or knowingly causing physical injury is a class 1 misdemeanor, and recklessly causing physical injury is a class 2 misdemeanor. Placing someone in fear of imminent injury, or knowingly touching to injure, insult, or provoke, is a class 3 misdemeanor.
Domestic violence designationA.R.S. § 13-3601
Listed offenses become domestic violence offenses when the parties are, or were, married, live or lived together, share a child, are related, or are or were in a romantic or sexual relationship. Charges are marked DV, and pretrial release conditions may include counseling programs.
StalkingA.R.S. § 13-2923
A course of conduct directed at a person that causes reasonable fear of injury or property damage, or emotional distress, is a class 5 felony. Conduct that causes reasonable fear of death of the person or a protected person is a class 3 felony.
Interfering with judicial proceedingsA.R.S. § 13-2810
Knowingly disobeying a court's lawful order is a class 1 misdemeanor. Orders of protection carry a warning that disobeying them can lead to arrest and prosecution under this section.