Bill > S2615

Introduced Session

This bill would require a defendant convicted of, or placed on probation or has a sentence suspended for, a domestic violence offense, to attend domestic violence counseling. Under current law a court may, in its discretion, require the defendant to receive professional counseling from either a private source or a source appointed by the court. Under the bill, in cases in which a defendant is found guilty of a crime or offense involving domestic violence, or where the court suspends the imposition of a sentence or places the defendant on probation for a domestic violence offense, the court would be required to order the defendant to participate in and complete a program of professional counseling. In all cases of court-ordered domestic violence counseling under the bill, the professional administering the counseling is required to have expertise in individual or group domestic violence counseling. This bill is modeled after similar laws in California, North Carolina, and Minnesota.

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Shirley Turner (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee (on 02/08/2024)

Official Document