Battered Woman Syndrome Research Papers

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, one in four women in the United States has experienced domestic violence during her lifetime (Battered Woman Syndrome, 2012). This type of abuse can be fatal and detrimental to one’s personal growth. When woman are repeatedly abused, they show different signs, symptoms and general characteristics. These characteristics are defined as Battered Woman Syndrome.

Until recently, in fact, wife beating has often been something to joke about at cocktail parties. But the seriousness and savagery of battering relationships cannot be underestimate. Murder, suicide, permanent injury, kidnapping, incest, and child abused are all inherent aspects of this syndrome. As, and if as a feminist, I believe that our word will never be rid of violence until all societies treat men and women as equals, I also believe it is true that the men and women will never be equals until women are physically safe in their own homes.

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

This behavior is considered to be abusive because it negatively affects the victim and the people around them like other family members, friends, co-workers, etc. Due to gender rules in society, women are typically seen as weak and submissive and a majority of the time they tend to be the main victims when it comes to domestic violence. Statistics shows that this crime kills about “one-quarter of all American women” (Life at Home, 365) a year while millions of other women suffer at the hands of their partner. With time domestic violence has morphed into five main categories which include physical, verbal, financial, sexual and psychological or emotional abuse. That includes anything that is meant to harm, threaten, frighten, manipulate, humiliate, intimidate, or falsely accuse the victim. It takes place all over the world and is evident in every social class. It can happen to anyone regardless of their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or beliefs. Domestic violence is most common with adults, especially those who are married yet they are certainly not the only ones to experience domestic abuse. Research shows that when children witness domestic violence between their parents, boys are more likely than girls to abuse their future intimate partners, while girls who normally witness domestic violence are more likely to be the victims as adults in future relationships (Weebly.com). There has been

The laws of BDS are kind of confusing. In many states is now recognizable in legislation

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.

“Domestic violence is a type of abuse by one or both partners in marriage, friends, family, dating or cohabitation” (Aziz & Mahmoud, 2010). There are many forms of abuse from verbal and emotional to physical that often escalates over time in intensity for the victim. Data from the criminal justice system, hospital patient medical records and mental health records, police reports, surveys and social services reports of thousands of women revealed that many are injured and killed as a result of violence from someone close to them. “The US Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender” (Robertson & Murachver, 2009). Researchers and the criminal justice system have not been able to agree on a clear definition to domestic violence which can range from physical injury, stalking, verbal abuse and humiliation, denial of shelter and access to money, and intimidation through aggressive behaviors. The definition of domestic violence may vary but the results from physical injury, mental and emotional trauma, and sometimes even death can last a life time.

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

Walker further expanded Martin Seligman’s idea of the 60s that the women stayed with their abusers because of learned helplessness. Seligman’s experiment with dogs showed that as a result of conditioning, a creature would eventually not react because they find that there is no way to avoid pain. Walker explained that just as the dogs refused to jump after a point, the battered women eventually figured that beating was unavoidable and there was no way to escape it. In the beginning, they think that by changing their behavior or actions, they can put an end to the beatings. When this solution does not work after a while, they tend to become passive and can find no other alternatives to save themselves.

A justice-related issue that I see relevant to our society today is in relation to women who suffer from domestic violence/ battering. Batter Women Syndrome (BWS) has recently been reformed in the United States as the Batter Person Syndrome (BPS) to include men as potential victims of domestic violence/ batter. The term batter person syndrome has been recognized as a social issue and legal changes have taken place in the United States in order to protect individuals affected by domestic violence/ battering. My overall goal for this essay is to remind people of the historical origins behind this social issue, the advancements that have been made by our society in the legal system, and to suggest policy changes to improve the legal

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).

There are many cases where self- defense has been used as a plea where the victim felt they were in harms’ way or unable to escape a specific situation that ended badly. The definition for self- defense is: 1. Defense of oneself when physically attacked 2. Defense of what belongs to oneself, as ones work or reputation 3. (Law) the right to protect oneself against violence or threatened violence with whatever force or means reasonable or necessary. According to an expert on battered women, a woman must experience at least two complete battering cycles before being labeled a battered woman. (Walker) According to Dowd, “he believes the proper use of BWS assists the fact finder to understand the state of mind of the battered woman at the time

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

Abuse continues to be a significant problem nationwide, shattering the lives of many. It is hard to imagine the domination that the abuser exercises over the abused, the danger that they feel, and the violence and fear that traumatise them. Violence is not a private matter. One cannot draw the curtains and forgive and forget, society must intervene and offer help and comfort. However, sometimes the help offered can be inadequate and illogical. Battered wife syndrome (a condition created by sustained physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, which creates a variety of physical and emotional symptoms) has been used as a defence in murder cases in which women have killed or harmed their abuser. Although expert testimony regarding battered

Battered women’s syndrome develops from psychological conditions that manifest from prolonged physical, verbal, and sexual abuse from one’s partner or spouse (Greene & Heilbrun, 2014). Mary Winkler suffered this type of abuse from her husband Matt Winkler who happened to be a minister for a Church of Christ in a small town in Tennessee. She eventually murdered her husband while he lay asleep in bed by shooting him in his back with a shotgun. Mary claimed that she and her husband were arguing over money and he was criticizing her for everything, beating her down emotionally to point where she just snapped (True Crime XL, 2014).