Syndrome-Based Defenses - 1718 Words

Syndrome-Based Defenses, Title Page The Exploration of Unique Syndrome-Based Defenses Kathryn Davis Nelson Staples CRJS 256 Criminal Law March 25, 2010 Syndrome-Based Defenses 1 Abstract Many court cases involve some type of syndrome-based defense, whether it be anything from battered women’s syndrome to Vietnam syndrome to fetal alcohol syndrome to attention deficit disorder. In these cases, the accused tries to use their disease or disorder as a reason to get a not guilty charge. A syndrome-based defense is a defense based on the acceptability of syndrome-related claims. Since syndromes are viewed as diseases or disorders, we might anticipate the development based on other disorders, perhaps Alzheimer’s, alcoholism, or drug addiction.†¦show more content†¦The everybody does it defense is when a person in a public office claims that other people use public funds or inmates for personal chores. Gone with the wind syndrome is used by rape experts to explain why rapists believe sex has to be spontaneous and must involve some form of minor rejection from the woman beforehand. The television defense is a claim that violence on television creates a Syndrome-Based Defenses 4 viewpoint that the same form of violence is acceptable in real life. This defense was first used in 1977 by fifteen year-old Ronney Zamora, who killed an eighty-two year-old neighbor. In this particular case however, the jury did not accept this defense. The rock and roll defense, used against Judas Priest, Tupac, and The Beatles during the Manson trials, claims that violence is induced because of the subliminal messages in rock music, and in some cases, rap music as well. As our culture diversifies and becomes more technologically advanced, many more defenses will be used against our society. In addition, there are also many defenses that are sexually based, such as battered women’s syndrome, in which a woman is abused by her spouse so much that she ends up killing him because she finds that there is absolutely no other alternative, and nobody to talk to or get help from. Another defense is sexual abuse syndrome, which can also be linked to rape trau ma syndrome, which was discovered in 1974. This defense claims that sexual abuseShow MoreRelatedBattered Women’s Syndrome Plea and a Defendants Financial Dependence: Evaluating Legal Decisions1383 Words   |  6 Pagesbattered woman’s syndrome has been used as a plea of self-defense, especially in cases of homicide, it has highly been scrutinized. According to recent research, characteristics associated with the syndrome form a standard that jurors use to judge battered women. This study would evaluate how characteristics of a defendant would affect a juror’s legal decision-making, in a case of a woman pleading not guilty under terms of self-defense, who were suffering from battered woman’s syndrome. To discuss theRead MoreBattered Woman Syndrome : The Perfect Defense Or Perfect Murder?1652 Words   |  7 PagesBattered Woman Syndrome: The Perfect Defense Or The Perfect Murder The standards of women and their rights have changed vastly over the years. In the 1800’s women were subject to whatever treatment a man felt necessary. Self-defense was not heard of and women did not dare stand up for themselves. In the modern age of today women have the right to be treated just like everyone else is, with respect. 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As stated before, BTS is the signs, symptoms, and general characteristicsRead MoreBattered Woman Syndrome: Self-Defense Plea Essay1493 Words   |  6 Pages 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 womanRead MoreWhat are Stand Your Ground Laws?1501 Words   |  6 Pagesretreat (McClellan and Tekin, 2012; Wallace, 2006). The expansion on the Castle Doctrine brings about much controversy concerning whether it is right to allow someone to stand their ground in an area other than their residence. This development is based on the section of the law which states that anywhere a person has a right to be they may resort to deadly force in the threat of serious physical harm (McClellan and Tekin, 2012; Wallace, 2006; Cox, 2013; Jealous, 2013). When a Stand Your Ground caseRead MoreDomestic Bias Of Domestic Violence1659 Words   |  7 Pageslargely denied and minimized. In 1977 sociologist Suzanne Steinmetz wrote an article titled â€Å"The battered husband syndrome† that brought attention to the use of husband battering. In the article Steinmetz implored the use of physical violence between spouses in five surveys conducted by numerous violence research teams in which 2143 â€Å"content† spouses were selected. These surveys were based primarily of â€Å"Conflict Tactic Scales’ (CST), which were a developmental method used to measure family violenceRead MoreFoucault s Theory Of Individual Power And Knowledge1596 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"battered woman’s syndrome† and it opens the door for a many unanswered questions, and is debatable at best. In the case of Francine Hughes Wilson, â€Å"The Burning Bed† shed new light on the ever growing problems within a domestic abusive relationship and gave way to social change, knowledge and empowerment within such situations. One must question if â€Å"Battere d Women’s Syndrome† is a mental illness or an excuse for murder without consequences due to a momentary lapse of judgment. Based on actual caseRead MoreEssay On Stockholm Syndrome920 Words   |  4 PagesMany women endure abuse and violence in relationships for various reasons. One of these reasons can be Stockholm syndrome. Alexander (2009) defines â€Å"the Stockholm syndrome as a phenomenon used to describe the close relationship between victims and their abusers or captors†. The relationship goes deeper to a point where the victims tend to strongly agree with the demands or agendas of their captors. The origin of the name is coined from a bank robbery incident in Stockholm. The event that took place