this book is about the “penal couple,”1 the two individuals most directly involved in a criminal act— the victim and the perpetrator. What roles do they play in a criminal episode? How should we evaluate their participation in it and attribute liability for the resulting harm? Should the perpetrator always be the single culprit or should his responsibility depend on the conduct of the victim? Th ese questions are at the center of Victims’ Rights and Victims’ Wrongs: Comparative Liability in Criminal Law
