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).
(1)(a) At the juvenile’s first appearance before the court, after the detention hearing or at the first appearance if the juvenile appears on a summons, the court shall advise the juvenile and the juvenile’s parents, guardian, or other legal custodian…
(1) It is the intent of the general assembly that the program established pursuant to this section benefit the state by providing a structured program combining residential and community reintegration components under which certain adjudicated juveniles are subject to an…
(II) In sentencing a person who violates this section, the court has discretion to impose alternatives in sentencing as described in part 1 of article 1.3 of this title 18, including but not limited to restorative justice practices, as defined…
(d) In addition to any other sentence the court may impose for a violation of subsection (1) of this section, the court shall order the juvenile be assessed for suitability to participate in restorative justice practices, if available, and, upon…
(3) The department may make restorative justice practices, as defined in section 18-1-901(3)(o.5), C.R.S., available to any victim of any offender who petitions for placement in the specialized program, as may be appropriate, but only if requested by the victim…
(1.5)(a) If a defendant is convicted of assault in the third degree under section 18-3-204 and the victim is a peace officer, emergency medical service provider, emergency medical care provider, or firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her…
(4) The department shall make restorative justice practices, as defined in section 18-1-901(3)(o.5), available to any victim of any offender who petitions for placement in the specialized program, as may be appropriate, but only if requested by the victim and…
(2) The purpose of this article is to encourage the establishment of programs to provide for restitution to and restoration of victims of crime by offenders who are sentenced, or who have been released on parole, or who are being…
(f) In addition to the actions authorized by subdivision (e), the juvenile court may, as appropriate, direct the offender to complete a victim impact class, participate in victim offender conferencing subject to the victim’s consent, pay restitution to the victim…
(c) A victim shall be notified of the availability of community-based restorative justice programs and processes available to them, including, but not limited to, programs serving their community, county, county jails, juvenile detention facilities, and the Department of Corrections and…