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 General Assembly finds and declares that: (1) The resolution of felony, misdemeanor and juvenile delinquent offenses can be costly and complex in a judicial setting where the parties involved are necessarily in an adversary posture and subject to…
(a) Members of the Victim-Offender Alternative Case Resolution Committee or board of directors of an organization with a victim-offender alternative case resolution program are immune from suit in any civil action based upon any proceedings or other official acts performed…
(b) A person who voluntarily enters an alternative case resolution process at a victim-offender alternative case resolution program established under this chapter may revoke that person’s consent, withdraw from the alternative case resolution process, and seek judicial or administrative redress…
(2) The general assembly finds that the public has the right to safe and secure homes and communities and that when a delinquent act occurs, safety and security is compromised; and the result is harm to the victim, the community,…
On and after January 1, 2017: (1) Each police basic or field training program conducted or administered by the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall provide a minimum of twenty-seven hours of…
(k) Not later than January 1, 2017, the committee shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, the judiciary, human services and children…
(d) In addition to any other sentence the court may impose for a violation of subsection (1) of this section, the court shall order the juvenile be assessed for suitability to participate in restorative justice practices, if available, and, upon…
(3) The department may make restorative justice practices, as defined in section 18-1-901(3)(o.5), C.R.S., available to any victim of any offender who petitions for placement in the specialized program, as may be appropriate, but only if requested by the victim…
(1.5)(a) If a defendant is convicted of assault in the third degree under section 18-3-204 and the victim is a peace officer, emergency medical service provider, emergency medical care provider, or firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her…
(4) The department shall make restorative justice practices, as defined in section 18-1-901(3)(o.5), available to any victim of any offender who petitions for placement in the specialized program, as may be appropriate, but only if requested by the victim and…