Final answer:
Restorative justice ideology makes the victim's perspective central to the process of addressing the harm caused by crime, focusing on repair and reconciliation among offender, victim, and community.
Step-by-step explanation:
The restorative justice ideology indeed centers the victim's perspective in the criminal justice process. In contrast to other approaches such as retribution, incapacitation, prevention, and rehabilitation, restorative justice focuses on addressing the harms caused by crime by involving all stakeholders: offenders, victims, and the community.
This approach looks at crime as an injury to all parties and seeks to repair the damage through processes that often include face-to-face meetings to discuss the impacts of the crime and agree on ways to achieve reconciliation and healing.
Studies on restorative justice suggest that while they may not always significantly reduce reoffending, these programs are cost-effective, have a high benefit-cost ratio, and lead to greater victim satisfaction compared to traditional criminal justice prosecution. Restorative justice is recognized for its ethical framework, providing a means of empowerment to victims, promoting offender accountability, and facilitating community healing.