Overview

This book examines the evolution of the contemporary crime victim’s procedural place within modern Western societies. Taking the history of the Irish crime victim as a case study, the work charts the place of victims within criminal justice over time. This evolves from the expansive latitude that they had during the eighteenth century, to their major relegation to witness and informer in the nineteenth, and back to a more contemporary recapturing of some of their previous centrality. The book also studies what this has meant for the position of suspects and offenders as well as the population more generally. Therefore, some analysis is devoted to examining its impact on an offender’s right to fair trial and social forms. It is held that the modern crime victim has transcended its position of marginality. This happened not only in law, but as the consequence of the victim’s new role as a key sociopolitical stakeholder. This work flags the importance of victim rights conferrals, and the social transformations that engendered such trends. In this way victim re-emergence is evidenced as being not just a legal change, but a consequence of several more recent sociocultural transformations in our societies. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and policy makers in criminal law, human rights law, criminology, and legal history.

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9781032188225

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Reviews

'By his thought-provoking historical assessment of victim rights in Ireland, Strauss-Walsh provides an innovative analysis of the empowerment of crime victims in the modern period. The removal and relocation of victims in criminal law and procedure continues to define the contours of justice in the modern trial context, making A History of Victims of Crime: How they Reclaimed their Rights a must read for anyone interested in the socio-legal context of victim rights law reform.' Professor Tyrone Kirchengast, University of Sydney Law School, University of Sydney, Australia 'Tracing the emergence of a new legal culture of inclusion in regards to victims in the Irish criminal process, Strauss-Walsh provides fascinating historical and sociological context. This book is a wonderful addition to our understanding of the fall and rise of the victim in criminal proceedings in Ireland.' Professor Yvonne Daly, Full Professor of Criminal Law and Evidence, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University

Author Information

Stephen J. Strauss-Walsh teaches Criminology and Criminal Law at the University of Galway. His research is focused on victims and crime. He has a First-Class Honours Law Degree and PhD from the University of Limerick, Ireland.

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