Domestic Violence Offender Program Standards

Holding offenders accountable while supporting their opportunity to change.

Established pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 46b-38l, CCADV co-chairs the Domestic Violence Offender Program Standards Advisory Council along with staff from the Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division. This Legislative Advisory Council, housed within the Joint Committee on Judiciary, is charged with promulgating, reviewing and, as necessary, amending these standards.

Domestic violence, as a learned behavior, is supported by a system of beliefs and attitudes that requires a variety of approaches to prevent, reduce, and eliminate it.

Domestic violence offender programs must emphasize the accountability of individual perpetrators while educating them and teaching skills that support a non-violent lifestyle and promote healthy relationships. The program standards are intended to serve as a framework for new and existing program providers to develop and deliver services to people arrested for committing violence against a current or former intimate partner or people identified as needing services in order to prevent acts of domestic violence.
 

CT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDER PROGRAM STANDARDS (REV 2019)

 

APPROVED PROVIDERS - AGENCY (3/2023)     APPROVED PROVIDERS - INDIVIDUAL (12/2022)

 

---

 

Becoming an approved provider.

The Domestic Violence Offender Program Standards Advisory Council accepts applications from individuals or agencies that perform domestic violence intervention services in the community and wish to be included on a list to be used in adult criminal court proceedings. Only those individuals or agencies that are on the list can be utilized by defendants that are charged with a family violence offense as a part of resolving the pending criminal case. Each individual or agency will adhere to a formal Provider Agreement, which must be reviewed, signed and notarized.

The standards were revised in 2019 to also include a deviation consideration. The Advisory Council understands that some effective programs will have components that do not comport with the CT Domestic Violence Offender Program Standards. There is now a process which allows agencies or individuals to request consideration of their program despite this barrier. The Advisory Council will review each request for deviation on a case by case basis. A deviation will not be granted if the proposal is in conflict with the Guiding Principles of the CT Domestic Violence Offender Program Standards.