NCJ Number
122121
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1989) Pages: 253-269
Date Published
1989
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Factors influencing verdicts in legal cases involving battered women who kill their husbands were tested in this study of 388 college students (213 females and 175 males) who read a fictitious, but prototypical legal case.
Abstract
Subjects received one of three stories differing by the level of force used by the husband. Half of the subjects received courtroom testimony regarding the Battered Women Syndrome. Judge's instructions of not guilty by reason of self-defense (NGRSD) were given to one-half while the other half was given not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) instructions. Not guilty verdicts were more likely to be chosen with judge's instructions of NGRSD. Other factors influencing verdicts were the subject's view of the severity of past beatings, the testimony of the expert witness on the Battered Woman Syndrome, attitudes about the woman using a weapon, race of the subject, the subject's own history of abuse, attitudes toward abuse in relationships, and the subject's belief that people are responsible even if provoked. The commonly held belief that impaired mental defenses in these cases would be more likely to yield not guilty verdicts was not supported. 27 references. (Author abstract modified)