Criminal Justice and The Ideal Defendant in the Making of Remorse and Responsibility (Oñati International Series in Law and Society)

This book investigates how defendants are assessed by criminal justice decision-makers, such as judges, lawyers, probation officers, parole board members and those involved in restorative justice. What attitudes and emotions are defendants expected to show? How are these expectations communicated?
With contributors from across the world, the book opens new comparative possibilities and research agendas.
The book argues that defendants, at various stages of the criminal justice process, are expected to show a (more or less) free acceptance of guilt and individual responsibility along with a display of ‘appropriate’ emotions, ideally including ‘genuine’ remorse. It examines why such expressions of individual responsibility and remorse are so important to decision-makers and the state.
‘Criminal Justice and The Ideal Defendant is a dazzling contribution. It takes the debate in important new directions, and poses a powerful challenge to conventional wisdom.’
Susan A. Bandes, Centennial Professor of Law Emeritus, DePaul University College of Law, USA
‘Criminal Justice and The Ideal Defendant originates new research agendas and fresh perspectives on the key problem of remorse and responsibility.’
Julian Roberts, Emeritus Professor of Criminology, Oxford University, UK
‘This fascinating volume reveals the complex role of emotions in criminal justice; a topic that requires and deserves our urgent attention, if we are to find our way towards more honest and more just systems and practices.’
Fergus McNeill, Professor of Criminology & Social Work, Glasgow University, Scotland
‘Stewart Field and Cyrus Tata have brought together leading scholars from a range of disciplines to explore the crucial puzzle that is “the ideal defendant.” This is the ideal collection on the ideal defendant.”’
Steven Tudor, Senior Lecturer, La Trobe University, Australia
‘Criminal Justice and The Ideal Defendant is a ground-breaking international, interdisciplinary volume’.
Rob Canton, Professor in Community and Criminal Justice, De Montfort University, England