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).
(3) “Restorative practices” means practices conducted in a whole-school ethos or culture that supports peacemaking and solves conflict by building a community and addressing harm in a school setting and that: (i) Are conducted by trained staff; (ii) Focus on…
(iii) Other school quality indicators may include: […] 5. Data on discipline and restorative practices;
2. Report of incident of dangerous behavior. Upon receipt of a report made by a teacher or school staff person of an incident of dangerous behavior, a school administrative unit shall review the reported incident and develop an individualized response…
3. Duties. The office, through the Victim Services Coordinator and other victim advocates, shall: […] F. Assist victims with obtaining victim compensation, restitution and other benefits of restorative justice
4. Technical assistance. The department shall, using existing resources, provide technical assistance to covered entities by developing, implementing and providing technical assistance to support evidence-based programs that reduce the likelihood of physical restraint or seclusion, and support students in reducing…
3. Services to schools. The center is responsible for providing the following services to schools in the State: […] H. Restorative justice assistance and assistance regarding alternatives to traditional discipline
10-B. Culturally informed prevention, diversion and restorative justice programs. The commissioner shall ensure that any prevention, diversion or restorative justice programs established by the commissioner and serving a juvenile who has been adjudicated of a juvenile crime and who has…
The department shall develop and implement or facilitate the development and implementation by a public or private entity of programs or initiatives providing enhanced training for criminal justice agencies and municipal officers and employees in the requirements and enforcement of…
C. At the time a person adjudicated to have committed a juvenile crime other than a crime listed in paragraph A is finally discharged from the disposition imposed for that juvenile crime, the court, upon receipt of appropriate notice of…
Statements of a juvenile or of a juvenile’s parents, guardian or legal custodian made to a juvenile community corrections officer during an informal adjustment or during a restorative justice program or made to a clinical provider during substance use disorder,…