Suffering with Battered Woman Syndrome - 724 Words

Nearly one in four women in the United States reports experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or boyfriend at some point in her life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2008). As stated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, â€Å" These are our sisters, mothers, friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers†.Should women that suffer from â€Å"battered womans syndrome† be charged with murder for killing there abuser? â€Å"The term battered woman syndrome was introduced in the late 1970s by psychologist Lenore Walker to explain the psychological problems of women who are caught in a cycle of domestic violence† (ProQuest Staff).The mind of a typical domestically abused women has been diagnosed, monitored, and studied by professionals numerous of times. However, one may believe â€Å"battered women syndrome† should be used as an excuse in court, with prior evidence for self defense and mental illness if the women being abused had suffered domestic violence tragically. One may feel as if women sometimes use battered women syndrome as an excuse for murder,most of the time they do not exactly understand the pain of, being beaten, forced into sex, and choking these women have been through. Ones opinion may be that women should be able to use this syndrome as self defense mechanism. For instance, the Barbara Sheehan case. Sheehan was sentenced for six years shooting her husband in fear for her life, she exclaimed in Dr. Lenore E. Walkers novel The BatteredShow MoreRelatedBattered Women’s Syndrome Plea and a Defendants Financial Dependence: Evaluating Legal Decisions1383 Words   |  6 PagesWhen battered woman’s syndrome has been used as a plea of self-defense, especially in cases of homicide, it has highly been scrutinized. According to recent research, characteristics associated with the syndrome form a standard that jurors use to judge battered women. This study would evaluate how characteristics of a defendant would affect a jurorâ €™s legal decision-making, in a case of a woman pleading not guilty under terms of self-defense, who were suffering from battered woman’s syndrome. ToRead MoreBattered Woman Syndrome : The Perfect Defense Or Perfect Murder?1652 Words   |  7 PagesBattered Woman Syndrome: The Perfect Defense Or The Perfect Murder The standards of women and their rights have changed vastly over the years. In the 1800’s women were subject to whatever treatment a man felt necessary. Self-defense was not heard of and women did not dare stand up for themselves. In the modern age of today women have the right to be treated just like everyone else is, with respect. Although women have more rights in today’s society and have the right to stand up for themselves thatRead MoreFoucault s Theory Of Individual Power And Knowledge1596 Words   |  7 Pagesis now resulting in a spouse being labeled with the brand of â€Å"battered woman’s syndrome† and it opens the door for a many unanswered questions, and is debatable at best. In the case of Francine Hughes Wilson, â€Å"The Burning Bed† shed new light on the ever growing problems within a domestic abusive relationship and gave way to social change, knowledge and empowerment within such situations. One must question if â€Å"Battere d Women’s Syndrome† is a mental illness or an excuse for murder without consequencesRead MoreBattered Woman Syndrome As A Defense852 Words   |  4 PagesBattered Woman Syndrome As a Defense Battered Woman Syndrome is a medical condition used in legal defense by victims who have killed their abusive spouse. Years of living within the â€Å"Cycle of Violence,† can alter a victim’s state of psychosis, leading them to a constant state of intimate-terror. In recently recognizing this syndrome, the courts will accept a victim’s plea of â€Å"Battered Woman Syndrome† as a valid defence after killing their abusive spouse. According to the Domestic Abuse Shelter, â€Å"InRead MoreEssay Case note on ahluwalia1298 Words   |  6 PagesThe Legal issue in the case was whether the use of provocation as a defense could stand as she had sufficient time to consider her action and also if it could stand as a defence to person who has suffered domestic abuse with resulted in a battered woman’s syndrome. The Crown court convicted her of Murder and rejected the defence of provocation. The court of appeal overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial. Facts On the night of May 9,1989, The appellant, who had endured 10 years of domesticRead MoreA Cross Sectional Study On Women1648 Words   |  7 PagesStudy Between Battered Women Who Endure and Relinquish Violence Josiah Marie B. Carreon AB Psychology ABSTRACT For the past 30 years, violence had increase against women within abusive relationships, why women stay and endure the pain and why they relinquish violence. Women who are being battered share certain observable characteristics. Speaking with a battered woman should reveal these characteristics and help to identify her as a sufferer of Battered Women Syndrome. INTRODUCTIONRead More The Battered Woman Syndrome and Criminal Law Essay3845 Words   |  16 Pagesthis research paper is to prove that criminal law in America has failed to provide a defense that adequately protects women suffering from Battered Womens Syndrome. Battered Womens Syndrome, or BWS, is a very complex psychological problem facing criminal courts today and has caused great debate on whether or not it should even be allowed in the courtroom. Although the syndrome has been given more consideration as a warranted issue by society, those who create our laws and control our courtrooms,Read MoreEssay on Moral Implications of the Battered Woman Syndrome3168 Words   |  13 PagesMoral Implications of the Battered Woman Syndrome The Battered Woman Syndrome, like the Cycle Theory of Violence, helps to illuminate the situation of the person victimized by domestic violence. However, it may also contribute to the violence of the battering situation. In this paper, I explore some of the implications of the Battered Woman Syndrome for domestic violence cases wherein an abused woman kills her abuser. I begin by delineating some of the circumstances of a domestic violence situationRead MoreThe Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children2555 Words   |  11 Pages ​Over the last 20 years, community awareness of domestic and family violence has made a significant increase. Statistics have shown that every 9 seconds in the United States, a woman is assaulted, and around the world, at least one in every three women has been battered and manipulated into having sex. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family (Domestic Violence Statistics, 2013). Domestic violence is not restricted to a single ethnicity, religion, race, age groupRead MoreAnti VAWC Law1761 Words   |  8 Pageschildren refers to any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of s uch acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment