Interviews with Women Convicted of Murder: Battered Women Syndrome Revisited

Abstract

To better understand homicide, 28 women convicted of the crime of murder were interviewed in three American prisons. The data were characterized into a typology of delayed, reactive, and intentional murder responses. From the descriptions of the delayed and reactive respondents, a continuum of imminent danger existed in their daily lives suggesting that homicide was seen as an event which utilized reasonable force as a last resort to end an abusive relationship with partners, children, parents, or others, occurring after a progression of interactions. One implication of this finding is that these women have a different understanding of their crime than legal officials and jury members suggesting that the American legal system itself may possess a gender disparity within its law. Recommendations emerging from this implication include a recognition of battered wife syndrome as a legal defense for self-defense and the redefinition of relevant legal policies in keeping with the reality of today's at-risk communities. Future research is called for to examine the relationship between mandatory arrest and domestic violence calls.

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