Apologetic Justice: Evaluating Apologies Tailored Toward Legal Solutions

Source: (2001) Boston University Law Review. 81: 289.

Elizabeth Latif begins this examination of apologies in criminal justice processes with the observation that apologies have become a common feature of public discourse and the redress of past wrongdoing. While apologies have long had a place in the remediation of defamation claims, they are now beginning to be incorporated into the resolution of other legal disputes. Restorative justice approaches, for example, make the act of apology central to victim-offender mediation. At the same time, some have criticized the use of apologies tailored toward legal solutions as failing to provide meaningful reconciliation between parties in conflict. In this context, Latif contends that, although apologies in the legal arena may be somewhat weakened, they can play a valuable role in light of the benefits to victims, wrongdoers, and their communities.