ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceeding chapters of this book. The youth offen-der panels, however, instead of providing a coherent framework for operationalising community involvement, suggests what cannot be expected from community participation in restorative justice programmes. The book explores the whys and hows of community involvement in one selected practice of restorative justice: youth offender panels in England and Wales. One lesson from England and Wales is that restorative justice advocates need to lessen their expectations in relation to the benefits of lay involvement, while recognising the continuing important role of professionals in any restorative justice endeavour. Restorative justice aims to change the traditional way of doing justice by placing the decision of how to deal with a particular offence in the hands of those most directly affected by it: the victim, the offender and the community.
