Some domestic violence charges in Harris County were dismissed after defendants agreed to take a class or make a charitable donation, according to Eyewitness News. Its analysis found that 6% of resolved domestic violence cases in 2025 ended in alternative resolution agreements, in which charges are dismissed when a defendant completes a class.
The analysis found that 69% of resolved cases were dismissed last year. Prosecutors said they could not prove guilt in 26% of those cases. Another 14% were dropped at the request of the complaining witness. Many of the 713 charges dropped through alternative agreements required anger management classes.
Amy Smith of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council said anger management is the wrong class for these cases and that a batterer's intervention program would be more appropriate. District Attorney Sean Teare said whether a class is appropriate "all depends" on the case.