The National Center on Restorative Justice’s (NCORJ) Tribal Restorative Justice Laws Database was created as a resource for restorative justice advocates, practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers—both for tribes and throughout other jurisdictions in the United States. Our aim is to organize and display in an easily navigated format the ways in which tribes have codified the use of restorative justice approaches. This database expands upon NCORJ’s Restorative Justice Laws Database, which lists state restorative justice laws.
The expansion of the Restorative Justice Laws Database to include tribal laws was a natural one. Contemporary restorative justice has roots in Indigenous cultures and practices, both in the United States and globally, and tribes continue to be leaders in restorative justice practice and systems today. This Tribal Restorative Justice Laws Database shows the many codified restorative justice practices that exist in tribal law and is, to our knowledge, the first time this data has been collected and presented in a public and easily accessible format.
Thank you to Grace Carson for her leadership and expertise in the creation of this database. Thank you also to the research assistants who helped on this project: Kylie Belt, Anna VanRoy, and Jonathan Eagle.
The NCORJ is committed to continuing to update this database. This database was last updated in January 2026. 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).
NOTES REGARDING THE TRIBAL CODES AND TRIBES INCLUDED IN THE DATABASE
Tribal Code Accessibility
Many tribes’ legal codes are not included in this database due to the fact that those tribes do not have their code published and/or do not wish to share their code with the public. The codes in this database should not be considered the only tribal restorative justice laws to exist.
Tribes Included
The tribes included in the Tribal Restorative Justice Laws Database are those who are federally recognized. Federally recognized tribes are those that are formally acknowledged by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the federal government. As such, these tribes have recognized tribal sovereignty. With recognized tribal sovereignty comes the right to tax, make and enforce laws, and regulate activities. Important for this database, federal recognition comes with established tribal criminal jurisdiction (though, this jurisdiction is dependent on where the tribe is located, among other factors). Tribes that are not federally recognized (i.e., are only state recognized) lack the ability to exercise the same rights and powers that tribes whose sovereignty is formally acknowledged by the federal government, and as such, lack tribal criminal jurisdiction (though, tribes that are not federally recognized may be able to establish restorative justice practices and efforts through other means, such as through social services, grant funded projects, and intergovernmental agreements with the state). Because of this, we decided to limit the tribes included in this database to those that are federally recognized. We acknowledge that the recognition process for tribes is a product of settler colonialism, and purposefully exclusionary. We do not view tribes that are not federally recognized as any less valid than those that are.
Additional Information
A victim’s right to be heard may be exercised, at the victim’s discretion, through an oral statement or submission of a written statement to the Court. A victim impact statement submitted to the court may include the following: An explanation…
Upon request of the victim, the prosecutor and victim advocate shall confer with the victim about the disposition of a criminal offense, including the victim’s views about a decision not to proceed with a criminal prosecution, a dismissal, a plea,…
655 Peacegiving 655.010 General Purpose: The purpose of this Ordinance is to establish procedures for Tribal Peacegiving. This Ordinance is adopted to protect the health, welfare, and morals of the Tribal Reservation and its residents and visitors. Background and Intent:…
15.38 Disposition of a Neglected or Abused Child. If a child is found bytheJuvenileCourtto be neglected or abused, the Juvenile Court in its judgment shall issue an order of disposition in the best interests of the child, including but not…
31.910 Additional Court Rules in a Domestic Violence Proceeding. (a) If it appears to the Tribal Court that alcohol or drugs played a part in the crime, a chemical dependency evaluation with a treatment plan may be ordered prior to…
5.2.150 Informal Conferences. (1) The Juvenile Services Coordinator or Social Services Department may hold an informal conference with a juvenile and the juvenile’s parent, guardian, or custodian to discuss alternatives to the filing of a petition alleging that the juvenile…
2.4.64 Conditional and Contingent Orders of Exclusion Where an individual subject to exclusion demonstrates a need to be present on the Burns Paiute Reservation and a willingness to engage in treatment, services, or other rehabilitative or restorative justice activities, the…
5.2.175 Dispositional Hearing: Findings and Order. (2) The Juvenile Court shall have broad discretionary power to make orders for the care, custody, control, and rehabilitation of a juvenile who has been found or admitted to be a juvenile offender, including…
5.2.173 Predispositional Report. (4) The Juvenile Services Coordinator or Social Services Department shall prepare a written predisposition report describing all reasonable and appropriate alternative dispositions for a juvenile found or admitted to be a juvenile offender. The report shall contain…
5.2.260 Informal Conference (1) The Social Service Department may hold an informal conference with the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian to discuss alternatives to the filing of a petition alleging that the child is a juvenile in need of care…