Maine Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine court ordered it?
The Maine statutes reviewed for this page do not impose a blanket anger-management requirement. Instead, a court can order a certified domestic violence intervention program in specific settings: as relief in a final protection from abuse order under 19-A M.R.S. § 4110(3)(M), or as a condition of parent-child contact under § 1653(6)(B)(3). State-paid programs must be certified under § 4116.
Protection from abuse orders now sit in 19-A M.R.S. chapter 103, which replaced the former chapter 101 in a 2021 recodification. A final order is for a fixed period of no more than two years, and the court may modify or extend it under § 4111. Orders and sentences vary, so 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, Maine 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 Maine 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, Maine-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 — Maine civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Protection from abuse orders: relief and duration19-A M.R.S. §§ 4110, 4111
A court may award temporary parental rights and contact, require the defendant to attend a certified domestic violence intervention program, or order counseling with a suitable provider. A final order must be for a fixed period not to exceed 2 years, and it can be modified or extended under § 4111.
Parental rights and responsibilities19-A M.R.S. § 1653
Courts treat the child's safety and well-being as primary and list domestic abuse between the parents among the best-interest factors. In abuse cases the court may set conditions on contact, such as supervised exchanges or completion of a domestic abuse intervention program, and may not order a victim into counseling with the abusing parent.
Criminal law
Domestic violence assault17-A M.R.S. § 207-A
Assault under § 207 against a family or household member or dating partner is a Class D crime. It is a Class C crime if the person has certain prior convictions, such as an earlier domestic violence assault or a violation of a protection order.
Stalking17-A M.R.S. § 210-A
Stalking is a course of conduct of two or more acts directed at a specific person that a reasonable person would find seriously distressing or frightening. It is a Class D crime, with higher classes for certain prior convictions or conduct aimed at members of an identifiable group.
Violation of a protection from abuse order19-A M.R.S. § 4113
Violating an order when the defendant had prior actual notice is a Class D crime. It is a Class C crime if the violation involved reckless conduct creating a substantial risk of death or serious injury, an assault on the protected person, or two or more prior violation convictions.