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) The training program described in Subsection (1) may include training on the following: (a) childhood and adolescent development; (b) responding age-appropriately to students; (c) working with disabled students; (d) techniques to de-escalate and resolve conflict; (e) cultural awareness; (f)…
(7) Beginning January 1, 2021, all prosecutorial agencies shall publish specific office policies. If the agency does not maintain a policy on a topic in this subsection, the agency shall affirmatively disclose that fact. Policies shall be published online on…
23) A local school board may establish or partner with a certified youth court program, in accordance with Section 78A-6-1203, or establish or partner with a comparable restorative justice program, in coordination with schools in that district. A school may…
(f) “Restorative justice program” means a school-based program or a program used or adopted by a local education agency that is designed: (i) to enhance school safety, reduce school suspensions, and limit referrals to law enforcement agencies and courts; and…
(e) review averted costs from reductions in out-of-home placements for juvenile justice youth placed with the Division of Juvenile Justice Services and the Division of Child and Family Services, and make recommendations to prioritize the reinvestment and realignment of resources…
(a) Each community justice center: (1) shall have an advisory board comprising at least 51 percent citizen volunteers; (2) may use a variety of community-based restorative justice approaches, including restorative justice panels, group conferencing, or mediation; and (3) shall include…
(a) Creation. There is created the Restorative Justice Study Committee for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive examination of whether there is a role for victim-centered restorative justice principles and processes in domestic and sexual violence and stalking cases.
(a) State policy. It is the policy of this State that principles of restorative justice be included in shaping how the criminal justice system responds to persons charged with or convicted of criminal offenses, and how the State responds to…
Each community justice center: (1) shall work in close coordination with State agencies, law enforcement agencies, State’s Attorneys, social service providers, victim advocacy organizations, and other community resources in administering the programs defined in subdivision 1964(a)(3) of this title; (2)…
(a) Notwithstanding section 1967 of this title, community justice centers may accept referrals for domestic violence and sexual violence cases, provided the community justice center has a current and executed memorandum of understanding with a local member organization of the…