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).
“Probation violation sanction”: (1) includes but is not limited to electronic monitoring, intensive probation, sentencing to service, reporting to a day reporting center, substance use disorder or mental health treatment or counseling, community work service, remote electronic alcohol monitoring, random…
Appropriation; account purpose; grants. Money in the account, including interest accrued, is appropriated to the commissioner of public safety for the Office of Justice Programs to provide grants to crime victim services providers. Grants must be used for direct services…
The director is authorized to establish a program of restorative justice within the department’s correctional centers and to require that offenders offer acts and expressions of sincere remorse for the offense committed and its impact on the victims and the…
2. The report of the presentence investigation or preparole investigation shall contain any prior criminal record of the defendant and such information about his or her characteristics, his or her financial condition, his or her social history, the circumstances affecting…
8. Courts shall retain discretion to lower or exceed the sentence recommended by the commission as otherwise allowable by law, and to order restorative justice methods, when applicable. 9. If the imposition or execution of a sentence is suspended, the…
2. In addition to such other authority as exists to order conditions of probation, the court may order such conditions as the court believes will serve to compensate the victim, any dependent of the victim, any statutorily created fund for…
2. The program shall be designed to implement and operate community-based restorative justice projects including, but not limited to: preventive or diversionary programs, community-based intensive probation and parole services, community-based treatment centers, day reporting centers, and the operation of facilities…
the Committee found that these programs have proven successful in significantly reducing incarceration rates and the risk that offenders will reoffend;
(1) The purposes of the restorative justice grant programs are to: (a) promote the use of restorative justice practices throughout the state; and (b) provide technical assistance to local and state jurisdictions and organizations interested in implementing the principles of…
As used in this chapter the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:– “Community-based restorative justice program”, a voluntary program established on restorative justice principles that engages parties to a crime or members of…