Has the Battered Woman Syndrome Done More Harm Than Good for Battered Women Who Kill Their Abusers?

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Are battered women considered reasonable under the law? What does it take to sustain a claim of self-defense for battered women who kill their abusers? The battered woman’s syndrome as a defense has been used to justify homicide, but there is no uniformity in the law as to what defines a battered woman. This paper reviews close to one hundred appellate level cases in which the battered woman syndrome was introduced as evidence. The admissibility of expert testimony is dependent upon the jurisdiction and the variance here attempts to define what a reasonable battered woman is, and whether this mode of defense is still acceptable in this era.

Author

• Adrienne Chikaye Kelish, Southwestern Law School