Battered Women's Syndrome Research Paper

Battered Woman Syndrome, or BTS, was a theory that was developed in the 1970’s (Battered Woman Syndrome, 2010). As stated before, BTS is the signs, symptoms, and general characteristics of battered woman. According to Dr. Lenore E. Walker, the “mother of Battered Woman Syndrome,” a “battered woman” is any woman 18 years of age or older, who is or has been in an intimate relationship with a man who repeatedly subjects her to physical and/or psychological abuse (Battered Woman Syndrome, 2010, p. 4). In order to understand Battered Woman Syndrome, the general characteristics must be explained. There are four general characteristics of BTS; the first characteristic is that the woman believes that the violence inflicted is her fault. She believes that no matter the situation, when she is abused, she did something to deserve that abuse. The second characteristic is that the woman is incapable of placing the responsibility for the violet actions elsewhere. Third characteristic is the women perpetually fears for her life/lives of

Tanya Mitchell frantically called 911 to report a shooting-a shooting she committed. In an act of self-defense against her abusive husband who, at the time, was threatening to kill her, she did what she had to do to save her own life. From her reports, her husband was not only abusive, but that he gave men in his “motorcycle club” permission to gang rape her-while he watched. Specific example of his sadistic abuse include him telling her they were going to get married while holding her at gunpoint, making her play Russian roulette, and even trying to rip off her nails. Her attorneys were going to use Battered Woman Syndrome (to take her psychological health based off of her abuse) as a factor in the case but were not confident it would

In addition, there are also many defenses that are sexually based, such as battered women’s syndrome, in which a woman is abused by her spouse so much that she ends up killing him because she finds that there is absolutely no other alternative, and nobody to talk to or get help from. Another defense is sexual abuse syndrome, which can also be linked to rape trauma syndrome, which was discovered in 1974. This defense claims that sexual abuse

The report responding to section 40507 of the Violence Against Women Act from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- National Institute of Mental Health determined that:

Because woman strike back at their abusers; battered woman’s syndrome has been used in courts as a plea when their actions were believed to be in self-defense (Hodell et. al, 2011). And when a battered woman kills her abuser, they must convince a jury of the rationality of her lethal actions to successfully advance a plea of self-defense (Schuller et al., 2004). When jurors believe that under the given circumstances a defendant’s behavior was justified under the law a jury can find a defendant not guilty by reason of self-defense (Hodell et al., 2011). Recent research in case’s of self-defense suggest that when using the battered women’s syndrome certain characteristics of the defendant could interfere with the accused sentencing (Russell, Ragatz, & Kraus, 2012).

(Battered Woman's Syndrome). If it is confusing because BWS is not a legal defense but the

I believe that the reason we could never effectively define a battered woman’s syndrome legally is due to this issue is not a “one size fits all” concept. There is more than one symptom

Before looking at the use of battered women’s syndrome as a legal defense, it would help to look at the definition of who exactly a battered woman is. In Daniel Saunders’ research of rates of husband and wife violence, he uses the term “battered women” in the broad sense to mean female recipients of any form of physical force that is intended to hurt. Therefore, Battered Women’s Syndrome is the name given to the measurable psychological changes that may occur after prolonged terms of abuse and is considered a subgroup of

When looking into Battered Woman Syndrome it is a relatively new defense and standing point in the court of law compared to other methods. This defense has also gained a ton of scrutiny in its time as it is a very vague defense and can be used in a multitude of situations in which it does not exactly apply as it would to others. I personally feel that this defense can be very helpful to women who truly need it, and it provides a cover for women who truly don’t need to be protected and need to be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the crimes which they have committed. This is something we went over for a journal and it interested me a great deal, especially with the case of Susan Wright.

One Afternoon Syke Jones was discovered in his home by his wife Delia and pronounced dead due to a venomous snake bite. Soon after it was brought to the attention of the court that Delia has been charged with the case of his death. The case has been examined by the Jury on all accounts from the defender and prosecutor. We, the Jury, find Delia Jones not guilty on account of all chargers of murder or manslaughter. The Jury has come to this conclusion due to there being no intention of death on her part, she suffers from Battered Women’s Syndrome, And that she seems to be no threat to society then, now or in the future.

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 that does not mean abuse does not happen. Shocking statistics show that 1 woman is beaten by their partner approximately every 15 seconds in the United States alone and 1 and 3 women who are victims of homicide were murdered by their abusive partner. There are many laws against spousal abuse and abuse against women in general. Once the laws are put into action then comes the legal defense used in court. Battered Woman Syndrome is a physiological condition just like depression or mental insanity. It is a real condition that women suffer from because of long term periods of physical, physiological, and emotional abuse by there loved ones typically spouses. Many debates come from the topic of BWS and whether it should be a legal defense in court or not. Battered Woman Syndrome is a condition that is severe and should be accepted as a legal defense in court just as every other physiological defense is. Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a mental disorder that develops in victims of domestic

Even though Battered Person/Women Syndrome is now more of an accepted argument in a court of law because of it the result of a great deal of psychological abuse and stress, there is still controversy surrounding it. Because of this, the legal definition of battered person syndrome relates to the Oakes Test because of limiting interpretation within the Criminal Code. Which further causes an “overriding [of] a constitutionally protected right or freedom.” Simon Fraser University, n.d.) In other words, because Section 718.2a through e of the Criminal Code - R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46 completely ignores whether or not the offender themselves were abused for months or even years on end before they committed an offence, therefore it not only puts on

Battered Woman Syndrome has been recognized as a subcategory of post-traumatic stress disorder (Walker, 2009). All women who have been battered do not meet all of the criteria in the DSM-V for post-traumatic stress disorder but many of them do (Walker, 2009). It is also important to note that women who suffer from Battered Woman Syndrome may suffer from other mental health conditions. Treatment should be tailored to fit the unique needs of the battered woman. However, according to Walker (2009) treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and Battered Woman Syndrome may include a combination of feminist and trauma therapy. Feminist therapy helps the victim understand the situational factors that are out of her control which may motivate her to accept and change the factors that she can control (Walker, 2009).

The Battered Women Syndrome is a series of characteristics in women who are physically and psychologically abused by an important dominant male in their lives. These women learn helplessness and dependency; sometimes these characteristics originate from childhood. According to Dr. Lenore E. Walker, a woman must experience two cycles, before she can be labeled a “battered woman”. The two cycles are called the “cycle of violence”. This cycle leads to the feeling that the abuse will never stop. It almost becomes natural. Sometimes the relationships will be calm, and the abuser will apologize for what happened. This part is called the “honeymoon cycle”, but at other points in the cycle the tension and

Domestic violence has been a main issue throughout history and all over the world; it can evidentially affect children, the elderly, women, and even men. Although abuse can affect many individuals, a significant portion of domestic abuse cases are against women. Globally, women are constantly facing physical, social and mental abuse by men and/or their significant others. In past years, the issue of domestic violence has gained the attention of researchers. In fact, studies have shown that it is a global issue negatively impacting the social and health status of individuals, particularly women. A survey of domestic abuse in Canada signifies that 29% of married women have been abused by their partners at least once (Nwosu, 2006). Many argue