Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes a contribution to the happily rising tide of scholarly interest in emotions generally and in remorse in the context of criminal justice in particular. It argues that address issues concerning the task of assessing remorse in the courtroom, usually prior to determining sentence. The book discusses the fraught practice of plea bargaining which they use as a potent site to consider why legal professionals are so preoccupied with searching for authentic remorse in defendants. It provides a detailed and reflective examination of the role and influence of remorse in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), based on an examination of sentencing and early release decisions relating to perpetrators of mass atrocities who appeared before the ICTY. The book suggests that address remorse in the context of political violence and social trauma: the former Yugoslavia and South Africa.