‘We Do the Same Exercise that the Judge Does’: Settlement Practices and Senses of Justice in Special Criminal Courts

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the practices and representations concerning the Special Criminal Courts. I analyse the situational ways of deciding, reconciling, and conducting audiences, which vary according to the conflicts, the parties involved, and the representations of the institutional actors related to this context and the functions of the courts. At the same time, I seek to reflect on the meanings of justice that guide the actions of these actors. The research show that some hearings which seem to prioritize procedural waivers, and that settlements/transactions are not always satisfactory for the establishment of dialogue and the harmonization of the social fabric.