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) It is the intent of the Legislature that, as part of a restorative justice framework, a school use alternatives to a referral of a pupil to a law enforcement agency in response to an incident involving the pupil’s misuse…
(a) The superintendent of a school district, the principal of a school, or the principal’s designee may refer a victim of, witness to, or other pupil affected by, an act of bullying, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (r)…
(c) For a pupil who has been suspended, or for whom other means of correction have been implemented pursuant to subdivision (b), for an incident of racist bullying, harassment, or intimidation, local educational agencies are encouraged to have both the…
(a) A local educational agency that receives a grant shall use the grant funds for planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities in support of evidence-based, nonpunitive programs and practices to keep the state’s most vulnerable pupils in school. These activities…
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…
(a) Subject to appropriation, the office of victims’ rights is authorized to pay outstanding balances on orders of restitution under AS 12.55.045 or AS 47.12.120. The office of victims’ rights shall coordinate and make payments from the restorative justice account…
(3) A minor may, with the consent of the Department and the victim(s), condition an admission to one or more acts alleged in the petition upon the court’s agreement to the recommendations made by a restorative justice program to which…
A court, when considering the sentence to be imposed under this chapter for an offense other than a violation of AS 11.41, AS 11.46.400, or a crime involving domestic violence, may permit the victim and the offender to submit a…
B) Restorative justice. “(2) The department shall: “(A) Develop information concerning the resources needed by school districts to reduce discipline and the restraint of students with disabilities using the strategies in subdivision (e)(1) of this section; and