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 disputes can be costly and complex in a judicial setting where the parties involved are necessarily in an adversarial posture and subject to…
(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…
“School-based diversion programs” shall mean programs and interventions designed to redirect youth who commit minor offenses in school from exclusionary disciplinary practices or formal processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding the student accountable for the student’s actions.…
(1) “Offender” means a person who has engaged in the commission of a crime. (2) “Participant” means a person who is a crime victim, survivor or offender. (3) “Restorative justice communication” means: (a) All communications, written and oral that are…
Victim and offender mediation services” means services designed to provide victims the opportunity for a meeting to ask questions, express feelings, or discuss restitution agreements with the convicted offenders or delinquent juveniles involved in the crimes against such victims.
Completion of a restorative justice program. For purposes of this section, “restorative justice program” means a system of justice which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
“Restorative justice” means a system of justice which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
“Court approved diversion program” means a program that has been approved by the administrative judge of the judicial branch family division and has been approved to accept court referrals. An approved diversion program is a community based alternative to the…
The victim-offender dialogue program, which shall be a victim-initiated, voluntary program to assist crime victims who seek access to restorative justice programs as provided under RSA 21-M:8-k, II(u), under the direction of the victim services coordinator, who shall:
(2) Center means a nonprofit organization or a court-established program which makes dispute resolution procedures and restorative justice services available;