§ 25-2911.Restorative justice programs and dispute resolution; types of cases; referral of cases.
Article 29: Dispute Resolution Act and Uniform Mediation Act · Last amended 2019 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceSection 25-2911 lists the case types an approved center may accept — civil disputes, domestic relations matters, juvenile and adult offenses, youth conflicts, and contested guardianship or conservatorship proceedings — and describes who may refer a case and what the center reports back to a referring court.
Full Text of § 25-2911
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(1) The following types of cases may be accepted for restorative justice programs and dispute resolution at an approved center:
(a) Civil claims and disputes, including, but not limited to, consumer and commercial complaints, disputes between neighbors, disputes between business associates, disputes between landlords and tenants, and disputes within communities;
(b) Disputes concerning child custody, parenting time, visitation, or other access and other areas of domestic relations;
(c) Juvenile offenses and disputes involving juveniles when appropriate, which shall be determined according to the policies and procedures provided for in section 25-2918;
(d) Disputes involving youth that occur in families, in educational settings, and in the community at large;
(e) Adult criminal offenses and disputes involving juvenile, adult, or community victims when appropriate, which shall be determined according to the policies and procedures provided for in section 25-2918; and
(f) Contested guardianship and contested conservatorship proceedings.
(2) Restorative justice practices at an approved center may be used in addition to any other condition, consequence, or sentence imposed by a court, a probation officer, a diversion program, a school, or another community program.
(3) An approved center may accept cases referred by a court, an attorney, a law enforcement officer, a social service agency, a school, or any other interested person or agency or upon the request of the parties involved. A case may be referred prior to the commencement of formal judicial proceedings or may be referred as a pending court case. If a court refers a case to an approved center, the center shall provide information to the court as to whether an agreement was reached. If the court requests a copy of the agreement, the center shall provide it.
Section 25-2911 defines the raw material approved centers work with. On the civil side, centers can take consumer and commercial complaints, neighbor disputes, business disputes, landlord-tenant conflicts, and community disputes, along with custody, parenting time, visitation, and other domestic relations matters, and contested guardianship or conservatorship proceedings. On the offense side, centers can handle juvenile offenses and disputes, youth conflicts arising in families, schools, or the community, and adult criminal offenses — with the juvenile and adult offense categories subject to the screening policies section 25-2918 requires.
Restorative justice at a center does not replace whatever else a court, probation officer, diversion program, school, or community program has already imposed; the statute treats it as something that can run alongside any other condition, consequence, or sentence.
Cases can reach a center from almost any direction — a court, an attorney, a law enforcement officer, a social service agency, a school, another interested person or agency, or the parties themselves — and a case can arrive before any lawsuit is filed or while one is already pending. When a court refers a case, the center owes that court one piece of information in return: whether the parties reached an agreement. If the court wants the agreement itself, the center has to produce it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What civil matters can go to an approved center?
Consumer and commercial complaints, disputes between neighbors, disputes between business associates, landlord-tenant disputes, and disputes within communities.
Are family law matters like custody eligible for mediation under this section?
Yes. The statute lists disputes concerning child custody, parenting time, visitation, or other access, and other domestic relations matters.
Can adult criminal offenses go through restorative justice?
Yes, when appropriate, subject to the policies and procedures in section 25-2918.
Does restorative justice replace a court-ordered sentence?
No. It may be used in addition to any other condition, consequence, or sentence imposed by a court, probation officer, diversion program, school, or community program.
Who can refer a case to an approved center?
A court, an attorney, a law enforcement officer, a social service agency, a school, or any other interested person or agency, or the parties themselves.
What must a center tell a court that referred a case?
Whether the parties reached an agreement, and it must provide a copy of the agreement if the court requests it.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:what cases go to mediation Nebraskarestorative justice eligible offensesreferring a case to approved centerdomestic relations mediation Nebraskaguardianship conservatorship mediation