Legislation · Florida · Domestic violence
Florida permits optional faith-based activities in intervention programs
A 2026 act permits supplemental faith-based activities in batterers’ intervention programs while prohibiting required participation in those activities.
Published November 3, 2026 · Reviewed by David Martino
Florida law now expressly permits batterers’ intervention programs to offer supplemental faith-based activities, while stating that participation in those activities may not be required as part of the program. Chapter 2026-71 added that provision to Florida Statutes section 741.325(1), which addresses program requirements.
The act was approved May 11, 2026 and states that it took effect July 1, 2026. Its operative provision is narrow: a program may offer the supplemental activities, but a participant cannot be required to take part in those activities as part of the program. The law’s text does not require a program to offer faith-based content.
The distinction between the supplemental activities and the intervention program itself matters. The new sentence addresses participation in the faith-based activities; it does not say that a person subject to an otherwise applicable intervention requirement may disregard that requirement. Other program requirements and any applicable court order must be considered separately.
The act consists of the new subsection and its effective-date provision. It does not describe a particular curriculum or determine the terms of any individual participant’s case.