Introduction

Abstract This chapter introduces the central theme of the monograph: the evolving role of victims in criminal justice systems, particularly their underexplored function as agents of prosecutorial accountability. While victims across common law jurisdictions are increasingly offered avenues of participation, they are often conceptualized in terms of private, individualized interests. By contrast, this work advances a public conception of victims and their interests as citizens capable of participating in public processes, including holding the state accountable when prosecutorial fallibilities occur. Drawing on high-profile cases, the chapter highlights the importance of recognizing victims’ potential to contest prosecutorial decision-making, particularly in contexts marked by systemic inequalities. The focus on prosecutors is justified by their unique and expansive discretionary authority and the minimal oversight to which they are subject to—conditions that heighten the risk of errors, bias, and accountability deficits. The chapter situates this role within the historical trajectory of common law, noting the shift from citizen-driven prosecutions to state monopolization of the public interest coupled with a privatized understanding of victim interests, which have produced new tensions around accountability. It outlines the comparative methodology of the study, focusing on England and Wales and the United States, and explains how these jurisdictions illustrate divergent approaches to victims’ accountability role. It also frames the normative and theoretical commitments of the monograph, which seeks to reconceptualize victims not merely as bearers of private entitlements but as citizens capable of advancing the public interest in prosecutorial processes.