An Open Letter to Criminal Court Judges

More and more frequently, courts are ordering anger management for a wide range of transgressions, which usually involve some form of violent act, threat of violence, or intimidation; the news media report episodes of anger related issues; and athletes and celebrities are referred to anger management classes.

Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted definition of anger management, nor are there guidelines for judges issuing anger management sentences. The American Psychiatric Association has officially determined that anger is a lifestyle issue (learned behavior), rather than a mental or nervous disorder. Therefore, an intervention consisting of counseling, psychotherapy, or medication is not entirely appropriate for addressing anger.

The American Association of Anger Management Providers, the official voice of professional providers of anger management, offers the following definition of anger management: “Anger management is a class which teaches skills in recognizing and managing stress and anger, teaching skills in increasing empathy/emotional intelligence and enhancing assertive communication”. In addition, the AAAMP defines anger as a normal emotion that becomes a problem when it:
• Is too intense
• Lasts too long
• Occurs too frequently
• Is harmful to oneself or others
• Leads to aggression or violence
• Destroys work or personal relationships

While Judges have no sentencing guidelines for anger management classes, the Los Angeles Branch of the California Superior Court has a committee on anger management that established the following standards:
• The Los Angeles Courts use a list of Certified Anger Management Providers who: 1) have all received 40 hours of training, 2) complete 16 hours of continuing education yearly, and 3) issue client workbooks and the Conover Assessment, which includes a pre and post test for each defendant, at intake.
• The court has determined that the average sentence to anger management should be 26 sessions. It is up to the court to decide if more or fewer sessions are necessary.
• The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County District Attorney as well as the Public Defenders all accept and use this list.
• Currently, the Los Angeles Probation Department as well as the California Parole Department, the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services and the Department of Mental Health refer exclusively to this list of providers.

There are professionally trained and certified anger management providers in most California Counties. To view this list, please visit: http://www.andersonservices.com/providersus.html#CA .

The current list of Certified Anger Management Providers is in the best interest of California consumers, especially given the lack of legal regulations pertaining to anger management providers.


George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CEAP
Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management Providers
Fellow, American Orthopsychiatric Association