Penal Code

Handling of domestic violence by police differs state by state, county by county. The mandate for batterers to attend a 52-week program is California law.

Here is a look at (Penal Code 1203.097(a)(6).):

Existing law generally provides that, as a condition of any grant of probation, any defendant who is convicted of a crime against a spouse, cohabitant or former cohabitant, the partner in a dating relationship or engagement, his or her child, or the other parent of his or her child, must successfully complete a “batterers’ program” or equivalent counseling program “for a period not less than one year with periodic progress reports by the program to the court every three months or less and weekly sessions of a minimum of two hours class time duration. The defendant shall attend consecutive weekly sessions, unless granted an excused absence for good cause by the program for no more than three individual sessions during the entire program, and shall complete the program within 18 months, unless, after a hearing, the court finds good cause to modify the requirements of consecutive attendance or completion within 18 months.
(Penal Code 1203.097(a)(6).)