Battered Woman Syndrome Is Not a Legitimate Defense (From Violence: Opposing Viewpoints, P 162-167, 1996, David Bender, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-159343)

• NCJ Number: 159363
• Author(s): M Fumento
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Greenhaven Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Opposing Viewpoints Series

Annotation

In examining the battered woman syndrome (BWS) as a defense in cases where women have killed their partners, the author contends that the BWS defense incorrectly absolves women of the responsibility for killing their partners and permits them to escape punishment for their crimes.

Abstract

A recent study by the U.S. Justice Department found that nearly 13 percent of wives accused of killing their husbands were acquitted, compared to 1.4 percent of husbands accused of killing their wives. Of those convicted, 16 percent of women received probation instead of prison, 10 times the rate for men. The average prison sentence for the homicidal wife was 6 years, compared to 17 years for the husband. In addition, women are pardoned much more frequently than men for killing their partners. The BWS is viewed as a sign of the times in an era of victims where anything can be justified based on abuse of some type. 19 references