SOC209H5 : 209 remorse.docx
Document Summary
Criminal law reflects this attitude towards offenders by imposing more lenient sentences on remorseful offenders. Correction system tends to be more punitive towards who fail to express remorse. As a result, they are treated more harshly, perceived in negative terms simply. Importance of remorse: first, it reveals the importance that both the courts and the media place on expressions of remorse or their absence. People who show remorse viewed as deserving of compassion and more lenient punishment. Second, because expressions of remorse are linked to mitigation. Dilemma: if someone is saying sorry just for the sake of it just to get a lenient punishment. Ex- mr. wight said sorry after the trial to make an impact hard enough so that no one thinks hes saying sorry to make his punishment any less. People who have been wrongly convicted often assert their innocence and, not surprisingly, refuse to express remorse for crimes they did not commit.
