Restorative Justice Laws Database

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).

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10 results found

Massachusetts - Protections Regarding Diversion Programs

(b) Statutory Bars on Use of Evidence from Community-Based Restorative Justice Programs. (1) Participation in a community-based restorative justice program as defined by G. L. c. 276B, § 1, shall not be used as evidence or as an admission of…

Maine - Statements Not Admissible in Evidence

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,…

Illinois - Parties to a Restorative Justice Practice

(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…

Florida - Neighborhood Restorative Justice

(1) Definitions.–For purposes of this section, the term: (a) “Board” means a Restorative Justice Board established by the state attorney pursuant to subsection (3). (b) “Center” means a Neighborhood Restorative Justice Center established by the state attorney pursuant to subsection…

Colorado - Juvenile Diversion Program

(4) District attorneys’ offices or the office’s designees shall: (a) On and after January 1, 2021, conduct a risk screening using a risk screening tool selected pursuant to section 24-33.5-2402(1)(c), as it existed prior to its repeal in 2022, for…

Colorado - Alternative Sentencing Option Restorative Justice

(b.5)(I) Except as otherwise provided by subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (b.5), any defendant who, in the determination of the court, is a candidate for an alternative sentencing option and who would otherwise be sentenced to imprisonment pursuant to paragraph…

Alabama - Restorative Justice Initiative

The district attorney and the presiding judge may establish a Restorative Justice Initiative within the judicial circuit for any case in the circuit or district court. The guidelines, rules, and mechanisms for such an initiative shall be promulgated by the…