According to the California Women’s Health Survey, about 40% of women in California experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. In 2011, law enforcement received 158,547 calls in relation to abuse and in 2010 there were 157 domestic violence fatalities. This is a serious matter and a serious offense in the California Court system. In fact, most district attorney offices throughout the state have special units completely dedicated to prosecuting these types of cases.

California domestic violence laws consider it illegal if someone uses physical force or communicates threats of harm against an intimate partner. Specifically, the law defines “abuse” as:

1. Physically hurting or trying to hurt someone, either intentionally or recklessly. This can include hitting, kicking, shoving, pushing, throwing objects and pulling hair.

2. Sexual assault.

3. Instilling the fear that they, someone else or a pet will be seriously hurt.

4. Stalking

5. Mentally harassing and intimidating.

6. Destroying personal property.

7. Isolation.

The point here is that the abuse doesn’t need to be physical. Offenders often use one or more of these tactics in gaining control over the victim.

The penalties for domestic violence offenses in California vary based on the severity of the injuries and the defendant’s criminal record. First time offenses that are considered “less serious” will usually be charged as a misdemeanor, while more serious cases are charged as felonies. In some instances called wobblers, the defendant might initially be charged with a felony offense but then have the opportunity to have it reduced to a misdemeanor.

Sometimes in the heat of a custody battle or purely out of anger, someone will make false allegations of abuse. It’s important to know that once the call is made to involve law enforcement officials, public defenders in California rarely back down. Even if your intimate partner has thought about it and decides she doesn’t want to press charges against you anymore, the case will usually move forward.

Most domestic violence offenders in California can expect a minimum of 30 days in jail, sometimes even for first time misdemeanor convictions. In addition, the majority of judges throughout the state are now also requiring a 52-week or hour Batterer’s Intervention Program or Domestic Violence Class.

Domestic violence classes are part of the California court mandated dv requirement so that an offender can learn how to break the cycle of abuse. In many instances, the abuser has grown up in a family in which this type of behavior was the norm so they don’t know anything different. The purpose of these programs is to help abusers gain better skills in communicating, listening, managing stress, and developing empathy. Participants learn how to understand their behavior, what triggers it and tools to make a sustainable change.

In California many judges find it acceptable to learn these new skills online. Weekly classes can be extremely difficult to get to if they are during your work hours, far away or you have childcare to think about. The benefit of taking your BIP online is that once you enroll, they are available 24/7 from any Internet connected computer device. This means that you can stay up after everyone else has gone to bed or get up early to fulfill the requirements at your own pace and on your timeframe. Just ask your judge if he or she will accept a 52 hour online domestic violence class and with their approval, you are good to go.

Online classes are also an excellent way to overcome the behavior for self-improvement purposes. Consider that once you receive a conviction, it goes on your permanent criminal record and can be seen whenever an employer does a background check. If you find yourself causing turmoil at home because of the way you are treating your loved ones, you can learn to make a permanent change by taking an online domestic violence class today.

October is a time for communities across the nation to stand together and build support for safe and healthy intimate relationships. It’s officially Domestic Violence Awareness Month and you will find fund raising family events around town that donate their proceeds to local domestic abuse shelters and resource centers, and national organizations.

You may be surprised to learn that domestic violence happens everywhere. It is an often hidden and silent killer that could be affecting your neighbor down the street or even a friend. The sad part is that many of us know someone who is the victim of domestic abuse but we don’t realize it. The facts are that one in four women in the U.S. will experience it at some point in her life. It occurs in all age groups, religions, socio-economic statuses, races and education levels. Women have a higher rate of becoming victims (about 85%), but men can be affected as well. And, approximately 1 in 3 teenagers experience some kind of abuse while dating each year.

Some states have higher levels of domestic violence than others. Alaska, for example, has one of the highest rates in the country. Almost 75% of residents have been victims of sexual assault or domestic violence, or know someone who has. Furthermore, according to the Violence Policy Center, South Carolina currently ranks #1 for the number of women murdered by men. This has been an ongoing issue in the state over the past 15 years. To give you some perspective, 61 women were murdered by men in 2011, which was more than twice the national average.

Stress, alcohol or drugs and mental illness can aggravate abusive behavior but it is really a choice that the abuser makes. He or she establishes a pattern of behavior that can include physical abuse, threats, jealousy, over protectiveness, financial control, humiliation or embarrassment in front of others, anger, threatening or abusing pets, denial of healthcare and/or stalking. This allows them to maintain control over their partner in an unhealthy way. In many situations, this behavior can go on for years because the victim is afraid to try and leave or tell anyone due to the repercussions they might endure from the abuser. Or, the victim might not have the access to finances to get out from under the mess.

Prevention is key to breaking the cycle of abuse. If an abuser gets involved with the judicial system, he or she will most likely be assigned Domestic Violence or Batterer’s Intervention Program (BIP) as part of their retribution. The good news is that it is possible to change and overcome the need to perpetrate this behavior. For many men, growing up in a household in which they witnessed domestic violence has led to an adulthood of thinking this is acceptable.

Online domestic violence courses are becoming the most popular way to break the cycle of violence. Classes can be taken from the privacy and quiet of home, from any of the 50 states. All the participant needs is Internet access and you can learn the skills necessary to manage stress, develop empathy, strengthen positive communication and listening techniques, and find a sustainable path for a healthier and safer life.

Domestic violence is a serious offense. It is defined as abusive behavior in an intimate relationship in which one partner tries to gain control over another by utilizing physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, or economic actions. It’s all about the desire for power at all times. We usually think of it as a man beating his wife, but this is not always the case. Other examples of this behavior include:

•  Emotional Abuse – this includes chronic name calling, criticism, or any behavior that undermines self-esteem.
•  Economic Abuse – taking control of the finances and withholding partner’s access to money, cruel financial    neglect.
• Psychological Abuse – this includes making threatening comments that cause fear, forcing the partner into isolation from loved ones and destruction of pets and property.
• Sexual Abuse – any behavior without consent.

According to the Domestic Violence Resource Center, 1 in 4 women has experienced some form of domestic violence in her lifetime. It generally doesn’t occur suddenly but has warning signs that build over time. Women between the ages of 20 – 24 have the highest chances of becoming victims, but many never report it because they are afraid of the repercussions such as homelessness or further aggression from the abuser. In response to the growing numbers, in 1994 Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act which recognizes domestic violence as a national crime. This act provides such actions as holding rapists more accountable for their crimes, creating a victim’s protection order, ensuring that police respond to all crisis calls and increasing the rate of prosecution, conviction and sentencing.

In most cases, the offender will have a court-ordered mandate to take a domestic violence or batterer’s intervention course as retribution for their crime. The purpose is to educate abusers to understand and accept responsibility for their unlawful actions. The classes discuss why domestic abuse exists and to discourage offenders from minimizing or blaming others for their actions. Through new skills in stress and anger management, empathy and effective communication, participants learn how to start controlling their own behavior in a rational and acceptable way. People who abuse are often victims of childhood abuse or have learned the behavior from role models in their own lives. However, in reality if an offender is ready to be accountable for his own actions, he can unlearn this way of thinking and instead begin to apply these new techniques to solve problems and deal with stress.

An increasingly popular way for offenders to fulfill their court ordered domestic violence class requirement is to take the program online. It can be very difficult to fit a weekly class into work or school schedules. A high quality course will contain all the same information that the participant would learn at an in-person class, but allow them the flexibility of taking it from any web-connected computer device, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week from home. At the end of the class, a Certificate of Completion is issued to prove to the court system that the mandate was completed. This is definitely the most convenient way to go!

Domestic violence doesn’t just affect spouses, but our teens as well. According to HealthDay News, more than 50% of all teenagers in the U.S. know a victim of dating violence or sexual assault. These same young adults say that they would find it hard to intervene and wouldn’t know how to respond if they saw such a crime. A recent survey funded by the Avon Foundation For Women released the following news:

· One in six young women say they have been a victim of social assault, compared to one in fifty young men.

· Only 46% of young males thought they would know what dating violence looked like.

· One in three young women didn’t know the signs of sexual assault.

· One in three young adults admitted that fear of getting physically hurt could prevent them from trying to stop an assault.

These results show that we are not doing a good enough job at speaking with our teenagers about dating violence/domestic assault. It’s important that as parents we take the initiative to have the discussion with our kids so they know how to determine if a friend is in trouble and how to stay out of these types of relationships themselves. Our young adults should understand that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but controlling behavior. If a boyfriend or girlfriend is stalking them, reading through their texts, determining which friends they can see and when, or using abusive language to control them, it’s time to get out of the relationship!

Many times children play out what they see at home. Therefore, teenagers that come from homes in which there is domestic abuse, could be more likely to impose that behavior in their own serious relationship. If you recognize that you are in an abusive marriage or relationship, a domestic violence class could give you the support and education you need to learn to get yourself to safer ground. Or, if your spouse has been indicted for domestic abuse and has a court order to take a batterer’s intervention program, online domestic violence classes are an easy-to-use, convenient and educational way to learn the material.

Online DV classes are available from any computer connected to the Internet and from anywhere in the United States. All you have to do is register online and the class becomes immediately available for you to read through. There is nothing to print out, no workbooks to fill out and no papers to organize; the class is 100% online. The participant simply logs in, spends as much time as he or she would like on the material, and then logs out. The computer program holds your last spot so it pulls right up when you enter the class again. Online classes are highly beneficial for people who have an upcoming due date to meet. Specifically, an 8 -hour in-person DV class generally takes 8 weeks to accomplish. Online you can get a 8-hour DV class done over the weekend. When the class is completed, a Certificate of Completion is sent out to the address you specify. This is the official documentation that the court requires to prove the mandate was fulfilled.

Online DV classes are also a great way for family members and young adults to learn the skills necessary to break this cycle. If you suspect your child is in an unhealthy relationship, offering a DV class as an educational tool is a great way to teach them why and how to get out before it’s too late.

Domestic violence is defined as a crime that is committed by one intimate partner on the other that involves a means of coercion, punishment, intimidation, revenge or control. In most states, if one partner calls the police, they generally will send a peace officer to the location and the suspect will be arrested and taken to jail. First time charges are usually considered misdemeanors but if there is repeat abuse, the suspect can receive felony charges. A domestic violence charge will immediately affect your freedom to possess a gun. In fact, federal law mandates that anyone who has been convicted of a domestic violence charge can no longer possess a firearm.

If you are a perpetrator of domestic violence and have been convicted of this crime, the judge must order a treatment evaluation and program. In the state of Colorado, most misdemeanor cases are required to attend at least 36 hours of domestic violence courses. A domestic violence charge is serious and the goal of taking this number of hours in education is to teach offenders how to stop the cycle of their violence.

A typical domestic violence class will include information about what exactly domestic abuse entails, recognizing and overcoming the triggers of the behavior, and developing a plan for sustained change. Classes also address issues about the victims like why they stay with their abusers, developing and maintaining a safety plan and what to do when the environment gets unstable and unsafe. Participants can expect to walk away with a host of new skills including how to better communicate and listen to loved ones and how to more positively affect change. Perpetrators will learn how their behavior is negatively affecting everyone in the family, how to develop empathy for their victims and open up their eyes to the world they are creating.

With the popularity and advancement in technology, online domestic violence classes continue to grow. If you have been court ordered to take a 36-hour or week domestic violence class, ask your judge, probation officer or attorney if you can take the program online. These classes are available from your Smartphone, Ipad, PC or laptop and can be taken from any of the 50 states. This gives you the freedom to fulfill the court order while you are on the road traveling for business, from your desk at work during your lunch hour or late at night after everyone has gone to sleep in the comfort of your own home.

The beauty of online dv classes is that they are completely self-paced. You can login and out whenever you have free time so you don’t need to worry about making a once a week pre-scheduled traditional class. The computer program holds your last spot so when you log back in you simply continue from where you left off. If you are in a time crunch to get the 36 hours completed by a looming deadline, you can clear your schedule and take the class over a long weekend if necessary.

Participants can print out a proof of enrollment immediately upon registration, and can receive progress reports along the way. At the end of the class a final exam is issued. With a 70% or better, a certificate of completion will be mailed out to you. This is the official paperwork that you need to show the judge that the requirement was successfully completed.

Life is busy enough. Take an online dv class to fulfill your court requirements and you will be satisfied with the privacy, educational information and convenience you receive!