Victims' rights and victims' wrongs : comparative liability in criminal law /

Bergelson (law, Rutgers Univ.), the author of many articles on victims' rights, is well qualified to prepare this book, which calls for reform of laws dealing with criminal liability. At the risk of being "politically incorrect," Bergelson contends that criminal liability laws should take into account the actions of victims as well as perpetrators. She touches on cases such as sadomasochism, date rape, battered spouses, and euthanasia, and she develops a set of practical mechanisms for evaluating the impact of a victim's actions on a perpetrator's liability in a number of different settings, including some that are presently excluded from comparative analysis. The book has some similarities to Crime Victims by Andrew Karmen (2006) and to Comparative Negligence Law and Practice by Arthur Best et al. (2002). The arguments are cogent and easy to follow, and the book includes an excellent bibliography and a useful index. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. R. A. Carp University of Houston