Family Violence in Domestic Homicides

A Case Study of Women Who Killed Intimate Partners Post-Legislative Reform in Victoria, Australia

Bibliographic Data

ID12436347
AuthorsDanielle Tyson (0000-0001-9439-567X, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia, corresponding author), Deborah Kirkwood (Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia), Mandy Mckenzie (0000-0003-2506-8653, Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia)
Year2016
Volume23
Issue5
Pages559-583
Publication date2016-05-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueViolence Against Women (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1077-8012 • E-ISSN: 1552-8448
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1077801216647796
PMID27194282
OpenAlexW2398155817
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited29

This article examines the impact of legislative reforms enacted in 2005 in Victoria, Australia, on legal responses to women charged with murder for killing their intimate partner. The reforms provided for a broader understanding of the context of family violence to be considered in such cases, but we found little evidence of this in practice. This is partly attributable to persistent misconceptions among the legal profession about family violence and why women may believe it necessary to kill a partner. We recommend specialized training for legal professionals and increased use of family violence evidence to help ensure women's claims of self-defense receive appropriate responses from Victorian courts

Criminology · Domestic violence · Forensic engineering · Homicide · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Suicide prevention · Engineering · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Medicine · Psychology

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