The National Center on Restorative Justice’s Restorative Justice Laws Database was created as a resource for restorative justice advocates, practitioners, and researchers as well as policy-makers across the United States. Our aim is to organize and display in an easily navigated format the ways in which states have codified the use of restorative justice approaches.
Thank you to Shannon Sliva (University of Denver) and Thalia González (UC Law San Francisco) for their advisement and expertise throughout the process of creating this database. Thank you to Karen Sheu and Anna VanRoy for their data collection work.
This Restorative Justice Laws Database builds on an earlier legislative directory created in 2014 by Shannon Sliva in partnership with Carolyn Lambert (Georgia State University College of Law) and hosted by the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work from 2019 to 2024.
The laws included in this database were identified by conducting a search in Westlaw and LexisNexis using the terms visible under “Form of Practice” in the database search options below. Only laws that feature one or more of these terms are included in the database. Use of the terms in the text of the law does not necessarily mean that restorative justice practice is occurring in the given jurisdiction.
The NCORJ is committed to continuing to update this database. If you see something that is missing or a correction is required, please be in touch. For more information about the development of the database, to get assistance navigating it, or to request a copy of the raw data for research purposes, please contact Lindsey Pointer (lpointer@vermontlaw.edu).
(a) The State Superintendent of Education shall establish a committee of no more than 21 members to make recommendations to the State Board of Education to change the professional educator licensure requirements and Professional Educator License renewal requirements for kindergarten…
(a) The General Assembly makes all of the following findings: […] (7) Many educators and schools in this State have embraced and implemented evidence-based restorative justice and trauma-responsive and culturally relevant practices and interventions. However, the use of these interventions…
The Department shall design training for its personnel and shall enter into agreements with the Department of Corrections or other State agencies and through them, if necessary, public and private colleges and universities, or private organizations to ensure that staff…
(c) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall, by adoption of emergency rules under subsection (rr) of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act if it so chooses, create a grant program for school districts, special education nonpublic facilities…
(a) This Section1 is intended to encourage the use of restorative justice practices by providing a privilege for participation in such practices and ensuring that anything said or done during the practice, or in anticipation of or as a follow-up…
(d) As used in this subsection (d), “trauma-informed intervention” means a method for understanding and responding to an individual with symptoms of chronic interpersonal trauma or traumatic stress. In order to qualify for a community school grant under this Section,…
(b) If a school is identified as meeting a threshold under paragraph (a)(4) of this section for 3 consecutive school years, the Department shall notify the school of this status by December 1 and the school must do all of…
(a) The Office of the State Superintendent of Education shall provide an array of supports to assist local education agencies and schools to achieve the goals of §§ 38-236.03 through 38-236.05 and to adopt trauma-informed disciplinary practices. The OSSE shall…
(b) The board of education of each local or regional school district shall, with the participation of parents, students, school administrators, teachers, citizens, local elected officials and any other individuals or groups such board shall deem appropriate, prepare a statement…
(b) The school climate committee shall be responsible for […] (4) advising on strategies to improve school climate and implementing evidence and research-based interventions, including, but not limited to, restorative practices, in the school community