Type:	Conference Paper
Title:	There was something different about him that day : the criminal justice system's response to women who kill their partners
Authors:	Rathus, Z
Keywords:	Criminal justice responses;Theories of violence;Legal issues;Homicide;Policing
Year:	2002
Publisher:	National Association of Community Legal Centres (Australia)
Notes:	Presented at the Annual Conference Of Community Legal Centres, Melbourne, 2002. Provides an overview of the incidence of spousal homicide in Australia, noting that it most frequently occurs in the context of a history of violence, before presenting some of the theoretical approaches, such as the ‘cycle of violence’ model, for explaining domestic violence and women’s decision to remain in violent relationships. The various legal defences available to women who kill their abusive partner are then explained and some of the problems inherent in the use of particular kinds of evidence are discussed. The current law in Queensland with respect to the full defence of self-defence and the partial defence of provocation is then outlined and some suggestions for legislative reform are made. The importance of the distinction between murder and manslaughter for sentencing of offenders is then explored and problems with the distinction, such as encouraging offenders to plead guilty to avoid mandatory life sentences under a murder charge, are highlighted.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/21144
Physical description:	28 p.
Appears in Collections:	Conference Papers

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