Offenders generally have less difficulty in understanding the restorative obligations than they have with regard to the punitive or rehabilitative responses. Outcomes in terms of recidivism seem to be positive, though further research is needed to establish this more firmly. When informed realistically about its possibilities, the majority of the public appears to prefer restorative responses to crime. No decisive limits concerning the feasibility of restorative justice have yet been observed. Many victims of serious offences are also willing to cooperate in restorative processes.
Serious offenders can and regularly do comply with restorative obliga- tions.
No more threats to public safety have been observed as a result of the restorative experiments than have been caused by any other traditional sanctions or measures. The restorative response to crime is based on a socio-ethical approach which stresses the responsibilities of the parties to find a constructive solution to the crime conflict. The approach therefore offers the potential for more peacekeeping in society as a whole. Optimism concerning initial restorative responses to crime leads to a more general concept of restorative justice. The wider potentialities of restorative justice appear to be very promising though more research is needed to further explore these poten tialities.