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).
(C) If the court concludes that the defendant is not in contempt because the defendant does not have the ability to pay the amount due, the court may: (i) suspend all or any part of the amount due in the…
7) Refer a child directly to a youth-appropriate community-based provider that has been approved by the Department, which may include a community justice center or a balanced and restorative justice program. Referral to a community-based provider pursuant to this subdivision…
15) Participate in the Restorative Justice Program conducted by a community reparative board, pursuant to chapter 12 of this title. The court may direct a reparative board to assist in determining restitution to the victim, as provided by subdivision (6)…
(a) Support from the Agency of Human Services. The Agency of Human Services shall provide to the community justice centers the information, analysis, and technical support that the community justice centers, in collaboration with the Agency of Human Services, determine…
WHEREAS, “restorative justice” is a concept for nonviolent offenders in which physical constraint of the offender is set at an appropriate level to ensure public safety, the offender is held accountable, and victims and the community become the center of…
SECTION 19.2-11.5. ESTABLISHMENT OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROGRAM. A. AS USED IN THIS SECTION: “FACILITATOR” MEANS A PERSON TRAINED IN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES WHOSE ROLE IS TO FACILITATE, IN A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL MANNER, THE PARTICIPATION OF THE PARTIES…
(36) (a) $200,000 of the general fund – state appropriation for fiscal year 2022 is provided solely for research to determine the use and effectiveness of restorative justice, including for hate crime victims and individuals who commit hate crimes. Researchers…
(11) The prosecutor, juvenile court probation counselor, or diversion unit may, in exercising their authority under this section or RCW 13.40.080, refer juveniles to community-based programs, restorative justice programs, mediation, or victim offender reconciliation programs. Such mediation or victim offender…
10) The diversion unit may refer a juvenile to a restorative justice program, community-based counseling, or treatment programs.
“It is the intent of the legislature to give prosecutors the discretion to petition the court to resentence an individual if the person’s sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. The purpose of sentencing is to advance public safety…