New Hampshire Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire court ordered it?
The New Hampshire statutes reviewed for this page do not require a certified anger-management class after an assault conviction. Domestic violence under RSA 631:2-b is a class A misdemeanor, or a class B felony if a deadly weapon is used or threatened, and the section itself sets no treatment requirement. Any counseling or program conditions are left to the sentencing judge and probation.
On the civil side, RSA 173-B:5 lets a court that issues a domestic violence protective order direct the defendant to a batterer's intervention program or personal counseling. Those orders are for a fixed period of up to one year and can be extended. Orders differ, 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, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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, New Hampshire-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 — New Hampshire civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Domestic violence protective orders: relief and durationRSA 173-B:5
A court may restrain the defendant from abusing the plaintiff, bar the defendant from the residence and from contact, order firearms surrendered, and direct the defendant to a batterer's intervention program or personal counseling. An order lasts a fixed period of up to one year and may be extended on the plaintiff's motion for good cause.
Parental rights and responsibilities: best-interest factorsRSA 461-A:6
In deciding parenting arrangements the court weighs a list of best-interest factors, including evidence of abuse as defined in RSA 173-B:1 and its effect on the child, and whether contact is likely to result in harm to the child or to a parent.
Criminal law
Simple assaultRSA 631:2-a
Purposely, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to another, or purposely or knowingly causing unprivileged physical contact, is a misdemeanor. A fight entered into by mutual consent is treated as a violation instead.
Domestic violenceRSA 631:2-b
Listed acts against a family or household member or intimate partner, such as causing bodily injury, threatening harm, or unlawful confinement, are a class A misdemeanor, or a class B felony if a deadly weapon is used or threatened. The court levies a $50 fine for each conviction, which supports the domestic violence grant fund.
StalkingRSA 633:3-a
Stalking is a course of conduct targeted at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for personal safety and actually places the person in that fear. It is a class A misdemeanor, or a class B felony when the person has a prior stalking conviction and the new offense is within 7 years.
Violation of a protective orderRSA 173-B:9
Knowingly violating a protective order is a class A misdemeanor that cannot be reduced to a lesser charge, and officers must arrest and hold the person until arraignment. A repeat offense within 6 years of a prior conviction can be charged at a higher class.