In the American criminal justice system, the appropriate prosecutor’s office is responsible for seeking justice for the victims of crime, leaving crime victims with little or no recourse following a decision not to prosecute. Crime victims can address this concern through the use of a private prosecutor, a process that allows victims of crime, or the families of crime victims, to hire their own attorney to bring criminal charges against the alleged perpetrator of the offense. Though common in England, only a few American states allow private prosecutions today. . . .
