Citation

Greenwald JP, Tomkins AJ, Kenning M, Zavodny D. Behav. Sci. Law 1990; 8(2): 171-180.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/bsl.2370080209

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Ewing (1987) has proposed a new legal doctrine called 'Psychological Self-Defense,' which is intended to provide a legal justification for a killing committed under the threat of extremely serious psychological injury. This study examines the effect of such an affirmative defense on the verdict in two vignette cases in which a battered woman killed her abuser. One-hundred ninety-six subjects issued verdicts after reading the case vignettes and a series of jury instructions which varied by self-defense instruction (Psychological Self-Defense Only, Physical Self-Defense Only, Psychological and Physical Self-Defense, or none of these). Only Psychological Self-Defense instructions significantly influenced verdict patterns, primarily by shifting would-be voluntary manslaughter convictions to acquittals.

Language: en