GLASTONBURY, CONNECTICUT · FAMILY LAW + FAMILY-VIOLENCE DEFENSE
For many first-time family violence cases, this is the outcome people are looking for — and it is worth understanding properly, because it is neither automatic nor available to everyone.
The program is set out at C.G.S. §46b-38c(h). It is a pretrial diversionary program: if the court grants it and you complete it, the charges are dismissed. No conviction.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
CT Safe Connect: (888) 774-2900 — 24/7, by call, text, chat, or email
Admission is discretionary and happens on the defendant’s motion. It is not offered automatically and not everyone who is eligible receives it.
You generally cannot have:
Certain charges are excluded outright — class A and class B felonies, and some class C felonies. Others, including class D felonies, unclassified offences carrying more than five years, and offences involving serious physical injury, require a showing of good cause.
The court gives notice to the victim and, where possible, an opportunity to be heard on the application. Their view is not controlling, and it is not ignored.
If granted, you are released to the supervision of the Family Violence Intervention Unit for a period the court sets, up to two years, on conditions the court orders. The program component consists of psycho-educational sessions.
You also agree to toll the statute of limitations and waive your right to a speedy trial for that period.
You apply for dismissal. The court dismisses on finding that you satisfactorily completed the program and complied with the conditions it set. Non-compliance along the way can mean the case returns to the regular docket.
Under C.G.S. §46b-38c(i), a nonrefundable $100 application fee is paid when the motion is filed, and a $300 program fee on entry into the program. No one is excluded for inability to pay: both can be waived on an affidavit of indigency or where you are eligible for a public defender, and community service cannot be required in place of a waived fee.
For an eligible first-time case, this is a genuine path to dismissal and worth pursuing seriously. It is also discretionary, limited, and conditioned on two years of compliance. Anyone telling you it is a formality has not read the statute.
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Every case starts with a conversation about what you’re facing and what it would take to handle it.
