I think it'd be kind of nice that you'd be forgiven for a theft if you give back the stolen items. I've often picked up things accidently and had to reload a save because I was playing with like the Crusader and the last save was ages ago. Wouldn't it be nice if you could be forgiven for crimes by giving back something you stole to the person who owns it? Or if you steal something, get caught, and just give it back because ti's not worth the trouble of getting?

I stole the stuff in the first place, why give it back? Besides, I would have already sold it.

Vigilante work? It could be if there some sort of lawbringer guild in the game.

Yeah, this is cool.

Depends on how easy it is to accidentally grab gear this time around or what is considered stealing I guess. Personally I think it'd be nice to have items be localized to a certain area. .. like these items belong to this store.. as long as they don't travel too far from that store it isn't considered theft.

Yeah that's another good idea, being able to kill/hunt down a thief and take back the items and return to them to their rightful owners. This would be an entire new branch of missions!

Wouldn't it be as easy to not have something marked as stolen until you leave the owner's property? I have accidently "stolen" goods on display while trying to click on a merchant. If I put it back before leaving the shop I shouldn't have to worry about being attacked as a thief. This has annoyed me on several occasions.

I once tried to use the Z button to pick up stuff I knocked over in one shop. I will never try that one again.

I like the idea of selling it back to it's rightful owner hahaha

This :yes:

You can give stolen items back, just steal another item in front of the owner, with the previously stolen item(s) in your inventory. Presto!

This. If you stole a quest item and then you realize you shouldn't have and then you go to put it back so the NPC will recognize having it again, I wish they would acknowledge getting it back and be happy or give you the quest they were going to give before.

So say, you steal this old ladies staff and you come back to town later on and you hear gossip about how so and so was robbed and then you go talk to her and she is distraught. Now, if you sneak back in that night and put the staff back in the chest and come back the next day, you hear how her staff magically reappeared in the chest and how everyone is overjoyed for the old lady. That would be nice imo.

Seems to be two different points here.

To what seems to be the first - I don't walk into a store, walk up to the counter and while merely attempting to talk to the shopkeeper, inadvertently stuff a vase into my shirt. One way or another, that should be dealt with. One should not be able to accidentally steal something, or, at the very least - yes - should be forgiven because it was an accident.

However, if my character deliberately steals something, then it's too late to just say, "Oh sorry - here - you can have it back."

Balance those two things and it'd be fine.

I like that. With Radiant Story telling this sort of thing should happen. I half expect them to have already thought of it, but to err is human I suppose.

It would be nice, I'd say. maybe if your standing, and pick somthing up, no harm no foul unless you leave the store, in which case the store owner would chase you outside yelling for the guards, but if your in crouch mode(sneaking) and grab somthing, then it is registered as stealing, and if somone saw you, they would head stright to the guards.

It would make sense if you accidentally pick something up that you can return it to the owner within like half an hour but if they find out that you have it after that time that they either take matters into their own hands or go to the proper authorities. It would be cool it you found stolen items on bandits and could return them to the rightful owner without it being a quest.

Agreed

Stole the words right out of my mouth. xD

I think this would be a good idea especially for useless items that only have a worth of 1 or something. I've accidently misclicked and stolen a cup only to have everyone go mental and attack me over it. It is a tad ridiculous. Is speechcraft still in the game? If it is, it would be cool if you could be able to talk your way out of getting caught stealing valuable items depending on their worth. IE with a speech of 100 you pick up a Steel Cuirass and get caught, "Oh, uh, I was just looking at it!" *skill check suceeded* or something.

Yes, speechcraft is still in the game. Also, your comment gives me another idea. Say, you steal something that isn't worth anything or almost nothing to resell but you find out later that it's a family heirloom and you talk your way into making it look like you found it and return it to them and they reward you with 500 septims or something for an item that normally would have only been worth 1 septim.