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).
(1.9) Each presentence report must also: […] (b.5) Indicate whether the offender meets the minimum eligibility requirements as provided in sections 18-1.3-104(1)(b.5) and 18-1.3-204(2)(a)(III.5) for participation in restorative justice practices;
(2) If the petition is the first juvenile petition filed against the juvenile in any jurisdiction and is initiated in a jurisdiction that has restorative justice practices available, the district attorney or the district attorney’s designee may determine whether the…
(1)(a) In order to more fully implement the stated objectives of this title 19, the general assembly declares its intent to establish a juvenile diversion program that integrates restorative justice practices to provide community-based alternatives to the formal court system…
(c) If a district attorney is considering filing any criminal charges as a result of a production of records issued pursuant to subsection (4)(a) of this section, the district attorney shall first consider referring the alleged responsible person for an…
(2) Every contract entered into pursuant to this section must be in writing and contain the following: […] (e) A requirement of restorative justice practices, when appropriate;
(1)(a) A council to provide assistance and education related to restorative justice programs is hereby established. The council shall be known as the “restorative justice coordinating council” and shall be established in the state judicial department within the office of…
(1) This code shall be construed in such manner as to promote maximum fulfillment of its general purposes, namely: […] (e) To promote acceptance of responsibility and accountability by offenders and to provide restoration and healing for victims and the…
(1) If all of the boards of commissioners of each county or the city council of each city and county in a judicial district agree, there may be created in the judicial district a local juvenile services planning committee that…
(1) In order to preserve and protect a victim’s rights to justice and due process, each victim of a crime has the following rights: […] (l.5) The right to be informed about the possibility of restorative justice practices, as defined…
(11) The district attorney shall inform a victim of the following: […] (g) The availability of restorative justice practices, as defined in section 18-1-901(3)(o.5), C.R.S., which includes victim-offender conferences;