In a courtroom, the offender is pitted against the state. In a restorative justice setting, both the victim and the offender have central roles. Rules and intentions outweigh outcomes in the retributive system, and one side wins and the other loses. In the restorative system, responsibilities are judged and assumed, needs are met and healing of individuals and relationships is encouraged. This makes possible a win-win outcome.
Restorative justice focuses on the accountability of the offender.
The wrongs committed create liabilities and obligations to the harmed, and those liabilities and obligations can only be removed and fulfilled by action on the part of the offender to make it up to the harmed in some way worked out with the person or persons harmed. Now, the Justice Center works primarily with juveniles and youthful offenders who have committed minor crimes, but even so, this method of dealing with a certain portion of criminal behavior can of great benefit to the offender and to the victim.