The aim of this contribution is to deal with the purposes, benefits and caveats of comparative studies in the field of restorative justice. This consideration is of first importance since more and more international conferences, seminars or ‘fora’ are dealing with the issue of comparison2. The paper will examine the structural conditions for the increasing interest in comparative approach, especially in Europe; highlight the relevance of undertaking comparative studies in the field of restorative justice; point to the main difficulties in developing comparative evaluative research; present two important methodological positions in developing comparisons between different countries’ development; and the conclusion will elaborate upon potential and caveats of both methods and suggest a framework of implementation for comparative studies in the field of restorative justice.