In the first rounds of discussion, there was an apparent stand-off between victim advocates and conciliation advocates. The two sides did agree on the following sequence in justice objectives: the victim must first be protected and empowered to break silence and tell the truth about what happened; the offender must first repent (not only show remorse, but change behavior); only then it is possible to begin restoring victim-offender relationships, whether through mediation or other methods. In cases in which the offender never repents, one participant suggested the goal should be 'approximate justice,' in which other avenues must be found to satisfy victim needs so the victim is free to forgive the offender. There was no final agreement among participants on what terms to use in a consensus alternative to the current retributive system. There was agreement, however, that changes are needed and that experiments should continue without writing off the entire existing criminal justice system.