Interestingly, forgiveness plays a part of some systems of law (particularly in the Middle East). If, for example, you accidentally kill a person while driving drunk, you have the opportunity to publicly apologize, and the family of the deceased are offered an opportunity to publicly forgive (though from my understanding, they're under no obligation or pressure to do this, and I believe in an instance this egregious, it would be quite rare). If you're forgiven, the sentencing is less harsh than it would be otherwise.
even in this woke era those legal systems can hardly be called civilised though. i mean the punishment for rape is being wed to the victim. also the "forgiveness" there is bought using wealth, kind of like out of court settlement but even for criminal matters not just civil.
