se I always seen on t.v. now the police officers never arrest men who have obviously have beaten on their wives. I want to know what happens to a woman when she has no choice but to kill her husband in self-defense and keep her children safe. If we as a society can not make the distinction between real victims and excusemongers, its not because there is something wrong with battered women, its because there is something wrong with us (Winters 153).In conclusion, the Battered Woman Syndrome defense is a defense that can be used in courts for battered women who kill their abusers out of the self-defense. The Battered Woman Syndrome is a series of learned characteristics. Characteristics like learned helplessness and dependency. Sometimes they are learned while in an abusive relationship or just a childhood thing. There are many stereotypes as to why doesnt the woman just leave?, the answer to that is, its not that easy. In order for the woman to successfully use the syndrome she has to be labeled a battered woman. It is not an insanity defense. Its purpose is to show the court that there was a reasonable reason to why she committed this crime. Making sure that the understanding of the syndrome is understood, because essential to a womans case. It is a self-defense, defense which every man and woman is entitled to. The Battered Woman Syndrome testimony is offered in a self-defense trial to shed light on the reasonableness of the defendants behavior (Gillespie 159). 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 th...
