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).
b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a defendant may participate in victim-offender mediation authorized by Section 508.324 on the request of the victim or a guardian of the victim or a close relative of a deceased victim.
(a) A governmental body may appoint a governmental officer or employee or a private individual to serve as an impartial third party in an alternative dispute resolution procedure. The governmental body’s appointment of the impartial third party is subject to…
If the pardons and paroles division receives notice from the victim services office of the department that a victim of the defendant, or the victim’s guardian or close relative, wishes to participate in victim-offender mediation with a person released on…
(3) school safety and security measures, including: (A) active shooter and emergency response training; (B) prevention and treatment programs relating to addressing adverse childhood experiences; and (C) the prevention, identification, and management of emergencies and threats, using evidence-based, effective prevention…
(a) An entity that provides services for the resolution of criminal disputes under this chapter may collect a reasonable fee set by the commissioners court from a person who receives the services, not to exceed $350, except that a fee…
(a) Mediation is a forum in which an impartial person, the mediator, facilitates communication between parties to promote reconciliation, settlement, or understanding among them. (b) A mediator may not impose his own judgment on the issues for that of the…
C) the prevention, identification, and management of emergencies and threats, using evidence-based, effective prevention practices and including: (i) providing licensed counselors, social workers, chaplains, and individuals trained in restorative discipline and restorative justice practices; (ii) providing mental health personnel and…
(C) the prevention, identification, and management of emergencies and threats, using evidence-based, effective prevention practices and including: (i) providing licensed counselors, social workers, and individuals trained in restorative discipline and restorative justice practices; (ii) providing mental health personnel and support;…
(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that: (1) the resolution of felony, misdemeanor and juvenile delinquent disputes can be costly and complex in a judicial setting where the parties involved are necessarily in an adversary posture and subject to…
(6) Research the possibility of: (A) Eliminating exclusionary discipline for non-violent offenses; and (B) Encouraging schools to adopt restorative justice discipline practices.