Virginia Journal of International Law, 2014.
This article argues that scholars and practitioners have misplaced confidence in the ability of truth commissions and trials to contribute towards restorative, retributive, expressive, and utilitarian goals. This article evaluates the search for justice in the aftermath of atrocities in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia by examining each country’s approach to truth-telling and punishment. It uses data gathered from field research in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to assess the contribution of truth telling and punishment mechanisms to their stated objectives from the perspectives of victims and affected societies. It argues that it is critical to limit the number of goals that truth commissions and trials can reasonably be expected to contribute to as opposed to burdening them with multiple objectives, which create unattainable expectations.