Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Does Expert Evidence Pertaining To Battered Woman Syndrome Influence Juror Verdicts?, Clare E. Shannon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigated whether expert evidence pertaining to Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) influences juror verdicts the legal requirements of self defence (imminence, proportionality and an attempt to retreat from the situation) are generally not met in cases where battered women kill their partner: The killings do not immediately follow the attack, the force used is not proportionate to the attack and there is often no previous attempt to retreat from the situation. BWS expert psychological evidence has been admitted by Australian Courts to provide jurors with an alternative perspective for determining whether a woman's actions were reasonable in the given …