Battered Women Syndrome and Self-Defense

Distorted Reflections of Battered Women Who Kill: A Response to Professor Dressler

In Battered Women and Sleeping Abusers: Some Reflections, Professor Joshua Dressler offers cogent criticism of the application of self-defense to battered women who kill their abusers under “nonconfrontational” circumstances, such as when the abuser is asleep. Dressler is critical of using evidence that the defendant suffered from “Battered Woman Syndrome” (“BWS”) to establish the requisite def...

Achieving Peace of Mind: The Benefits of Neurobiological Evidence for Battered Women Defendants

Despite its potential to diminish the culpability of battered women accused of crimes, neurobiological evidence has yet to be meaningfully deployed in the interest of these defendants. This Article describes how neurobiological evidence can provide insights into the effects of battering, at both an individual and ecological level. Domestic violence prevention advocates and medical professionals...

FACTORS IMPACTING JUROR PERCEPTIONS OF BATTERED WOMEN WHO KILL THEIR ABUSERS: Delay and Sleeping Status

Community members (N 187) rendered judgments about a case of a battered woman who killed her abuser allegedly in self-defense. The experiment was designed to isolate the effects of time delay before killing and the victim’s sleeping status, as prior research has confounded these two variables. Results showed that delay affected conviction rates only for women; men convicted at high rates regard...

Gender Inequality in the Law: Deficiencies of Battered Woman Syndrome and a New Solution to Closing the Gender Gap in Self-Defense Law

Primary care physicians' attitudes to battered women and feelings of self-competence regarding their care.

BACKGROUND Previous descriptive studies have demonstrated the problematic nature of physicians' attitudes toward battered women. However, little empirical research has been done in the field, especially among the various medical specialties. OBJECTIVES To compare the approach and feelings of competence regarding the care of battered women between primary care and non-primary care physicians. ...