National Center for Restorative Justice

National Center for Restorative Justice
Name	National Center for Restorative Justice
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Region served	United States
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Dr. Miriam K. Alvarez

National Center for Restorative Justice is a nonprofit organization established to advance restorative practices across criminal justice, education, and community contexts. It collaborates with courts, schools, tribal nations, and correctional institutions to implement restorative conferencing, victim-offender mediation, and community reparation models. The center engages policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to scale programs that emphasize accountability, healing, and reintegration.

History

The center was formed in 1998 after convenings with representatives from Janet Reno-era justice reform advocates, leaders from the MacArthur Foundation justice programs, and practitioners influenced by restorative innovations originating in New Zealand and South Africa. Early partnerships included pilot projects with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, municipal courts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, tribal councils from the Red Lake Nation, and community organizers linked to Moral Reconation Therapy networks. Founding staff drew on precedents in reconciliation efforts such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) and restorative experiments adjacent to initiatives by the Abolitionist Movement and scholars affiliated with Harvard Law School clinics. Over two decades the center expanded programming following federal dialogues connected to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act implementation debates and cross-sector exchanges involving the United Nations restorative justice resolutions and the American Bar Association task forces.

Mission and Objectives

The center's mission emphasizes repairing harm and restoring relationships through structured processes informed by restorative practice theorists associated with Howard Zehr-influenced networks and restorative frameworks developed alongside practitioners from New Zealand's Howard League for Penal Reform affiliates and Indigenous peacemaking models such as those practiced by the Navajo Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Objectives include scaling victim-centered mediation used in programs piloted with the Office for Victims of Crime, supporting school-based circles modeled after interventions in Los Angeles Unified School District and collaborations with juvenile justice programs in Cook County, Illinois. Strategic goals align with standards advocated by the National Association of Social Workers and the American Psychological Association when addressing trauma and reintegration.

Programs and Services

Programs include restorative conferencing implemented in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice pilot grants, victim-offender mediation partnerships with county courts like those in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and school restorative practices projects in districts such as Chicago Public Schools and New York City Department of Education. Services offer community healing circles influenced by methods from Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Canada)-linked initiatives, reentry support coordinated with The Sentencing Project, and juvenile diversion protocols modeled after programs evaluated by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Specialized offerings assist military-connected families linked to Department of Defense transition programs and tribal restorative peacemaking units established in concert with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Research and Publications

Research outputs include empirical evaluations comparing recidivism metrics cited by the Pew Charitable Trusts analyses, longitudinal studies drawing on data frameworks similar to those used by the National Institute of Justice, and white papers disseminated in forums associated with the American Evaluation Association. The center publishes policy briefs, case studies, and practitioner manuals informed by methodologies from RAND Corporation reports and systematic reviews aligned with standards used by scholars at Columbia University and University of Minnesota. Publications have been presented at conferences hosted by the European Forum for Restorative Justice, panels with the Brookings Institution, and symposia convened by the American Bar Foundation.

Training and Certification

Training curricula are delivered through academies modeled after professional development programs seen at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and certificate tracks that reference competencies endorsed by the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice and the Academy of Integrative Restorative Practice. Courses cover facilitation techniques used in restorative circles taught alongside modules adapted from programs at University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Berkeley. Certification pathways include continuing education credits consistent with standards from the American Probation and Parole Association and partnerships enabling credential recognition in jurisdictions such as California and Minnesota.

Partnerships and Impact

The center maintains formal partnerships with academic institutions including University of Minnesota Law School, advocacy organizations such as The Innocence Project, municipal agencies like the Minneapolis Police Department, and philanthropic partners including the MacArthur Foundation and Ford Foundation. Impact assessments cite reduced suspension rates in pilot schools comparable to outcomes reported by Seattle Public Schools reforms, lowered recidivism figures in county programs echoing results from Restorative Justice Victoria, and community feedback mechanisms inspired by participatory evaluations from Open Society Foundations-funded projects.

Governance and Funding

Governance is provided by a board combining leaders from legal, Indigenous, academic, and civic sectors, including former judges from the Minnesota Supreme Court, executives with backgrounds at the American Civil Liberties Union, and scholars affiliated with Yale Law School. Funding sources comprise foundation grants from entities such as the MacArthur Foundation, federal program awards from the U.S. Department of Justice, state contracts with entities like the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and philanthropic gifts processed through donor partnerships with United Way affiliates. Financial oversight follows nonprofit best practices advocated by the National Council of Nonprofits.

Category:Restorative justice organizations