Victims, prosecutors and the State in nineteenth century England and Wales

Abstract

Despite substantial misgivings about the activities and character of private prosecutors in England and Wales, the office of Director of Public Prosecutions was established only reluctantly and hesitantly in 1879. Tracing the history and aftermath of the decision to create that office reveals something of the manner in which victims and the state were represented officially throughout much of the nineteenth century, and it may help to explain why there is such a continuing reluctance to cede the victim a greater role in criminal procedure.