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) “Exemplary sanctions” may include but are not limited to electronic monitoring, diversion, community service, victim restitution, house arrest, intensive juvenile supervision, tracker programs, substance abuse assessment and testing, first-time offender programs, intensive individual and family treatment, structured day treatment…
(1) The Department of Juvenile Justice shall establish in each county, or assign to an existing body the responsibilities of, a local juvenile restorative justice advisory committee. For counties within the same judicial district, the requirements of this subsection may…
(d) Behavioral health services organizations contracted pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection may utilize restorative practices designed to hold the participant accountable to the victim if there is an identified victim and, in the professional opinion of the behavioral…
(9) Volunteers of America–Freedom House: Included in the above General Fund appropriation is $4,000,000 in each fiscal year to support the Freedom House administered by Volunteers of America. Included in the above General Fund appropriation is $250,000 in each fiscal…
(2) Restorative Justice: Included in the above General Fund (Tobacco) appropriation is $250,000 in each fiscal year to support the Restorative Justice Program administered by the Volunteers of America.
(9) “Recovery services” means rehabilitative treatment services that shall include but not be limited to any or all of the following: […] (j) Restorative practices designed to make the participant accountable to the victim when there is an identified victim,…
(31) “Graduated sanction” means any of a continuum of accountability measures, programs, and sanctions, ranging from less restrictive to more restrictive in nature, that may include but are not limited to: […] (f) Rehabilitative interventions such as family counseling, substance…
The secretary of corrections may make grants to counties for the development, implementation, operation and improvement of juvenile community correctional services including, but not limited to, restitution programs; victim services programs; balanced and restorative justice programs; preventive or diversionary correctional…
The dual status assessment team shall consider the child’s best interests and well-being, including: […] (13) restorative justice practices that may be appropriate;
The guidelines developed under section 3 of this chapter must incorporate methods that assist individuals in developing competency in employing approaches to create positive classroom and school climates that are culturally responsive, which may include: (1) classroom management strategies; (2)…