Common criminal initially sorry (8)
I believe the answer is:
contrite
'sorry' is the definition.
('contrite' can be a synonym of 'sorry')
'common criminal initially' is the wordplay.
'common' becomes 'trite' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'criminal' becomes 'con' (abbreviation for 'convict').
'initially' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'trite' put after 'con' is 'CONTRITE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for contrite that I've seen before include "Repentant, remorseful" , "in a sorry state indeed" , "Wholly penitent" , "Suffering remorse" , "Repentant and chastened" .)