IIRC, the original point of civil forfeiture was to remove the possibility of the accused, between the start of a criminal suit (or even before) and the outcome of the trial, from moving their assets to somewhere beyond the reach of the court.
The goal itself seems reasonably (though not perfectly) noble.
The use of this ability in the real world though ... not so much.
Restitution can be ordered by a court without requiring a process to confiscate money without so much as a charge