Forensic evaluations of battered women defendants: Relevant data to be applied to elements of self-defense |
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Authors: | Diane R. Follingstad |
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Affiliation: | aUniversity of South Carolina, USA |
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Abstract: | There has been no model of the relevant information that forensic experts should collect from battered women defendants for testifying in court in support of self-defense claims. This article proposes such a model, addressing the mental state of battered women at the time they killed their partners. Many killings of partners by battered women should be considered appropriate for self-defense claims, even when the fact situations do not appear to fit “classic” self-defense criteria. Forensic experts have an important role in bringing jurors to an understanding of how many battered womens' actions resulting in the death of a partner actually fit self-defense laws by explaining the fit between the facts of the case and the typical criteria of self-defense. |
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Keywords: | Battered women and self-defense Battered women defendants Forensic evaluations |
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