The Integration of Victim Lawyers into the Adversarial Criminal Trial

Various common law jurisdictions now allow for the representation of the victim in court in order to further integrate the victim into the criminal justice system. In certain common law jurisdictions, victim lawyers may now represent the interests of the victim during various parts of the criminal trial process, including pre-trial hearings and during sentencing. Such reforms have proven controversial and debate abounds as to the extent such lawyers may jeopardise the state’s control of the prosecution process or otherwise jeopardise a defendant’s right to a fair trial. While it is commonly agreed that various parts of the criminal trial process, including applications for bail, may significantly impact upon the victim and their family, the extent to which the victim ought to contribute to decision-making processes or contest substantive principles of law remains uncertain. This paper examines the extent to which victim lawyers may be usefully integrated into common law proceedings through a comparative analysis of the rise of victim lawyers in the United States and England. Possibilities for the integration of victim lawyers in Australia will be considered in the critical context of the ambit of the adversarial trial and the rights of the accused to a fair trial process.Sydney Institute of Criminology; School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydne

Victims’ Rights and the Right to Review: A Corollary of the Victim’s Pre-Trial Rights to Justice

In R v Christopher Killick [2011] EWCA Crim 1608, the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal for England and Wales gave a decision setting out the rights of a crime victim to seek review of a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision not to prosecute and concluded that victims have the right to seek review in such circumstances. This included a recommendation that the right to review should be made the subject of clearer procedures and guidance. This paper discusses article 10 of the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, (2011) 2011/0129 (COD) 18 May 2011 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime (see article 11 Final Directive) as applied in the Killick case. The paper further discusses the implementation of Killick in prosecution policy, namely in the CPS guideline on the victims’ right to review (Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales 2014). The right to review will be canvassed in light the existing framework of victim rights available during the pre-trial phase and, in particular, the right to private prosecution, access to counsel, and adjunctive and extra-curial rights from declarations or charters of victim rights

Victim influence : therapeutic jurisprudence and sentencing law in the New South Wales court of criminal appeal

Victim impact evidence was introduced by the Victim Rights Act 1996 (NSW) to facilitate greater victim participation in sentencing. Since then, various decisions of the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal have read down these provisions, now contained in the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW). Most recently, R v. Slack [2004] NSWCCA 128 ('Slack') ruled that impact evidence is unlikely to influence sentence because facts in aggravation of an offender's sentence need to be established beyond reasonable doubt. Following 'Slack', the bulk of submissions contained in a victim impact statement may now be rejected, against the intent of Parliament providing for their tenure in the first instance. This article explores the consequences of 'Slack' and the ways in which this decision will further limit the justiciable and therapeutic outcomes intended by the 1996 reforms.17 page(s

Victim impact statements and the Previtera Rule : delimiting the voice and representation of family victims in NSW homicide cases

A significant line of authority currently prohibits the consideration of family victim impact statements in NSW homicide cases. R v Previtera (1997) 94 A Crim R 76 makes this prohibition on the basis that family statements jeopardise a court's objectivity by according greater value to the life of the deceased than would otherwise be conferred where no statement is tendered. In such cases, an impact statement must be received by a sentencing court but must not considered, as part of an offender's sentence. However, the relevance of Previtera has been questioned on the basis that the views of family members may be relevant to s3A(g) of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), concerning the broader circumstances of the offence, such as the harm done to the community. This article examines the relevance of family victims to the constitution of harm in homicide cases, and as a result, whether the rule for which Previtera is now authority, is in need of revision.29 page(s

The Victim in criminal law and justice

Utilizing Foucault's genealogical method, this book traces the history and development of the victim from feudal law, arguing that the historical power of the victim to police, prosecute and punish offenders significantly informed the development of the modern criminal law and justice system. Leading to the repositioning of the victim in the twenty-first century, this book advocates the victim as an agent of change, presenting a new perspective for the relevance of the victim in today's justice system.1. The victim as concept. 2. Private prosecution. 3. Public prosecution. 4. Police. 5. Prisons, penalty and punishment. 6. The erosion of the victim and the rise of the state power from 1600. 7. Emergence of the victim rights movement. 8. Relocating the victim in common law and statute. 9. The victim as an agent of criminal law and justice

Les victimes comme parties prenantes d’un procès pénal de type accusatoire

Cet article examine les différentes manières par lesquelles les victimes de crimes ont pu être intégrées à une procédure accusatoire dans des ressorts de common law. Le dépôt d’une déclaration de victime a été la principale voie par laquelle les victimes se sont vu octroyer un certain statut dans les procédures judiciaires. Récemment, l’importance croissante des avocats des victimes dans divers ressorts de common law témoigne du souci accru de donner à celles-ci un vrai statut et des droits effectifs en termes de représentation juridique. Un avocat peut ainsi les accompagner tout au long de la procédure judiciaire, des audiences avant procès jusqu’à la détermination de la peine et aux procédures d’appel. L’expérience des tribunaux de droit civil pourrait aussi contribuer au succès de l’intégration des avocats des victimes dans des modèles accusatoires ; des avocats dont la notoriété grandissante traduit une avancée significative pour un droit pénal qui, en concevant les victimes comme parties prenantes des systèmes de justice de type accusatoire, attache de plus en plus d’importance à valoriser leur capacité d’action.This article examines the various ways in which victims have been integrated into adversarial proceedings in common law jurisdictions. The provision of victim impact statements has been the main way through which victims of crime have been afforded some role in court proceedings. The recent rise of victim lawyers across various common law jurisdictions holds greater promise by granting the victim actual standing and rights of representation by private counsel throughout the trial process – from pre-trial hearings through to sentencing and appeal. Comparisons to civil law jurisdictions will suggest how victim lawyers may be successfully integrated into adversarial systems. Victim lawyers will be examined as an important development in criminal justice that provides for the agency of the victim as a significant stakeholder in adversarial systems of justice.Este artículo analiza las diversas formas en que las víctimas de crímenes se han podido integrar en el procedimiento acusatorio de las jurisdicciones regidas por el derecho anglosajón (common law). La presentación de una declaración ante el tribunal ha sido la principal vía para que las víctimas obtengan un cierto estatuto en los procedimientos judiciales. La creciente presencia de abogados de las víctimas en diversas jurisdicciones de derecho anglosajón es expresión de la cada vez mayor preocupación por otorgarles un verdadero estatuto y derechos reales de representación jurídica en el procedimiento judicial, desde las audiencias preliminares hasta la sentencia y los procedimientos de apelación. La comparación con la experiencia de los tribunales de derecho civil contribuye también al éxito de la integración de los abogados de las víctimas en los modelos acusatorios. Se analiza la importancia de los abogados de las víctimas como un avance importante en la justicia penal para considerar a éstas como una parte importante en los sistemas de justicia de tipo acusatorio

Enforceable Rights for Victims of Crime in Adversarial Justice

Ante las demandas de una mejor integración de las víctimas en los sistemas de justicia penal, han surgido una serie de programas y experiencias piloto innovadoras que tratan de cambiar el papel desempeñado por ellas. Sin embargo, con esta política se tiende a apartar a las víctimas del delito del proceso penal dirigiéndolas hacia otras vías alternativas de justicia. Mientras que la innovación se puede encontrar en la periferia del derecho y la justicia penales, a través de la justicia restaurativa, los programas de resolución de problemas y de intervención que complementan o se desarrollan junto con los procesos judiciales ordinarios, el siglo XXI ha sido testigo de la aparición de los derechos y poderes de las víctimas que afectan, de forma más directa, al proceso judicial. Este artículo explora la aparición de los derechos, exigibles por las víctimas de delitos, que inciden en los procesos judiciales de carácter acusatorio. Para ello se tienen en cuenta las nuevas prerrogativas de las víctimas respecto de las decisiones previas al juicio, durante el juicio y en la imposición y cumplimiento de la sanción, además de poderes considerables más allá de las fases judiciales

Recent developments in victim agency in the New South Wales justice system : the case of victim impact statements

Participation by victims of crime in the criminal justice system in NSW - ability of victims to submit a victim impact statement upon sentencing - reforms leading to greater participation by crime victims since 1996 - impact of NSW Court of Appeal decisions which have resulted in the victim having little influence on the sentencing process - avenues for reform.30 page(s