If the new government chooses to acknowledge past crimes, it must next decide whether and how to hold the responsible parties accountable for those crimes. The main reason to prosecute past crimes is to punish criminals and dignify the victims. Prosecutions can also help to reunify society, and establish a common moral reality. Prosecution through legitimate channels may prevent outbreaks of vigilante justice. The decision to prosecute is often influenced by the speed of the transition in governments.
New governments are less likely to seek prosecution when the transition was gradual.
New governments may be motivated to prosecute former leaders in order to fix the blame for current problems firmly on those past leaders. The decision to prosecute past crimes may also depend on the capacity of the judicial system, and the extent to which it was corrupted by the old regime. New governments also face legal problems in prosecuting past crimes. It may be difficult to maintain the legal presumption of innocence in the face of public demands for vengeance. They may be tempted to prosecute individuals for acts which, while immoral, were not illegal under the old regime.