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Let Us Analyze the legal Consequences of Battered Woman Syndrome. BWS was first proposed in the 1970’s. Based on Joe Wheeler Dixon, PhD, JD BWS seems to be the product of legal advocacy rather than science. BWS seems to owe its existence to the demands of legal advocates to support and justify claims by

battered women who have killed (their batterers). The defense revolves round the woman’s mental deficiency and helplessness. Learned helplessness could be induced in lab animals, but no unexpected rage or aggression.

She does not take action during a beating, thereby being able to claim self defense; she likely can’t, he’s too strong. While he’s awake and seeing her, then she suffers from learned helplessness; he has brainwashed her into thinking she’s helpless and worthless. She possibly she destroys him in his sleep because that is the only time she is able to overpower him.

This is where the battered woman syndrome came in to play. Her defense asserts it was a kind of self defense. Where one might agree with this, the fact is she took a life. He received no trial because of his offense. Maybe she did what she felt she needed to do, but she should also take responsibility for her action.

In court, expert testimonial regarding domestic violence may by used for a variety of purposes: to demonstrate the defendant is a battered woman, to explain an abused girl’s state of mind and/or conduct or to encourage a claim or the validity of a particular defense. Experts have confessed that Battered Woman Syndrome is thought to be a subcategory of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but not a psychological disease in the context of insanity.

Based on Mary Ann Dutton, Ph.D.’s"Critique of the Battered Woman Syndrome" Expert testimonial concerning battering and its effects can’t adequately rely upon a single construct such as Battered Woman Syndrome: the comprehensive body of existing knowledge cannot be so condensed. Rather focus should be on identifying the specific questions pertinent to the problems at hand for which there is a body of knowledge to support a legitimate decision.