Restorative Justice Laws Database

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).

Massachusetts Minnesota Montana North Dakota Hawaii Idaho Washington Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Wyoming Arkansas Iowa Kansas Missouri Nebraska Oklahoma South Dakota Louisiana Texas Connecticut New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi South Carolina Illinois Indiana Kentucky North Carolina Ohio Tennessee Virginia Wisconsin West Virginia Delaware District of Columbia Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Maine Michigan Alaska

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35 results found

California - Contested Guardianships

H. Contested Guardianship. (1) Family Group Conferences If there is a contested Guardianship of the Person or a contested Petition for Visitation in a Guardianship matter, the Court may order the parties to participate in mediation or one or more…

California - Educator Effectiveness Block Grant

(b) A school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school shall expend funds apportioned pursuant to this section to provide professional learning for teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals who work with pupils, and classified staff that interact with…

California - Suspension or Expulsion

(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Multi-Tiered System of Supports, which includes restorative justice practices, trauma-informed practices, social and emotional learning, and schoolwide positive behavior interventions and support, be used to help pupils gain critical social…

California - Security Departments

(e) It is the intent of the Legislature to evaluate the presence of peace officers and other law enforcement on school campuses and to identity and consider alternative options to ensure pupil safety based on the needs of the local…

California - Educational Counseling

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that school counselors do all of the following: […] (1) Engage with, advocate for, and provide both of the following services for all pupils: […] (5) Promote and maintain a safe learning…

California - 21st Century California School Leadership Academy

(3) Professional learning opportunities may include, but are not necessarily limited to, coaching and training around supporting effective standards-aligned instruction and other instruction that promotes critical thinking, inclusive practices, social-emotional learning, restorative practices and other alternative behavioral programs, implementing effective…

California - California Youth Empowerment Act

f)(1) In the event of inappropriate conduct, unexcused absences, or inability to complete expected duties of a commissioner, the commissioner in question is entitled to a facilitated meeting using restorative practices. (2) For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions…

California - General Provisions

(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…

California - Legislative Intent

(d) In carrying out the requirements of subdivisions (b) and (c), the department shall do all of the following: (1) Consider the existing array of program models provided in statute and in practice, including, but not limited to, wraparound services,…

California - Notify Victim of Restorative Justice Program

(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…