Publisher:Legal Action Group
Series:criminal justice
The government talks tough on crime. It is, in the words of its white paper Justice for All, committed to 'rebalancing the system in favour of victims, witnesses and communities'. But should the relationship between victims and defendants be treated as a zero-sum game? And is policy being driven more by tabloid perceptions - of a criminal justice system in crisis - than by a genuine concern for victims' interests? Reconcilable Rights? explores the tensions between the interests of victims and those of defendants in the criminal justice process.
This book is based on a series of seminars and brings together leading academic experts, practitioners and policy-makers in a wide-ranging analysis and discussion on four separate, but interconnected themes.
•Why does the present government believe that victims' and defendants' rights are mutually incompatible?
•Have the 'pro victim' changes introduced in recent years created false expectations and eroded the defendant's right to fair trial?
•Is there a justification for involving victims in sentencing through the use of Victim Impact Statements?
•What rights should victims have within an adversarial system of criminal justice?
Reconcilable Rights? provides a thorough and thought-provoking analysis of this crucial area of policy - highlighting the growing polarisation of the rights and interests of victims and of those accused of crime in both government rhetoric and in popular discourse.