受虐婦女辯護的理論與實踐

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The Theory & Practice of Battered Women’s Defenses

作者:Sarah Buel 教授(德克薩斯大學法學院)

Based on:

根據:

Sarah M. Buel, Effective Assistance of Counsel for Battered Women Defendants: A Normative Construct, 26 Harv. Wom. L.J. 217 (2003)

Sarah M. Buel,

《對受虐婦女被告的有效辯護:一個標準化建構》-《哈佛婦女法律雜誌》第26期,217頁(2003)

Lexicon of Defense Options

辯護選擇詞典

A.   Battered women’s advocates have tried to eliminate use of term “battered women’s defense” to avoid idea of expecting special treatment.

       受虐婦女的辯護人試圖不再使用“受虐婦女辯護”這個術語,免得被人認為期求特殊對待。

B.   Traditional SELF-DEFENSE doctrine is often more effective.

       傳統的自衛條例常常更有效。

II. Premised on Law of Self-Defense,   在自衛法的前提下

A person is justified in using deadly force against another to the degree she reasonably believes that deadly force is immediately necessary to protect herself against the other%27s use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force or to prevent the other%27s imminent commission of aggravated kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated robbery.

Tex. Pen. Code Ann. § 9.31.

一個人有理由向他人使用致命武力,隻要她有理由相信她隻有馬上這樣做,才能保護自己免受他人使用(或企圖使用)的非法致命武力的傷害。或者是為了防止他人即將進行的加重的綁架、謀殺、性侵犯、搶劫或加重的搶劫。

Question: Was homicide or assault defendant a battered woman whose mental state or  perceptions were affected by the abuse?

       提問:犯殺人或侵害罪的被告是精神狀態或認知被虐待影響的受虐婦女嗎?

This fact question may arise in a prosecution for homicide or assault in which defendant admits having committed the act  but defends on the ground either that she acted in self-defense, or that the abuse caused her conduct.

這個事實問題在那些被告承認犯了殺人或侵害行為的訴訟中被提出來。但都以被告是進行自衛或是虐待導致了被告的行為予以辯護。

III. Allowing evidence of su*****ectivestate of mind: A. State v. Wanrow (Wa. 1978).

    容許主觀意識狀態作為證據: 萬柔案件

Wanrow shot William Wesler, a man much larger than herself, who had entered the home in which Ms. Wanrow was staying, unexpectedly, without permission of the occupants, intoxicated, and under circumstances suggesting the existence of a real threat to the safety of the children and women occupying the home. Petitioner was convicted of 2nd degree murder, but her conviction was reversed on appeal. We affirmed that reversal on the ground that certain evidence was improperly admitted at trial.

萬柔槍殺了威斯勒。威斯勒塊頭比萬柔大得多,他醉醺醺地,未獲得允許就毫無預警地進入了萬柔的房子。在這種情況下,室內的萬柔及其孩子麵臨的危險真實存在。萬柔被判二級謀殺罪,但是這項判決在上訴法庭被推翻。我們讚成上訴法庭的決定,因為在初審時,某些證據未被恰當地采納。

State v. Wanrow萬柔案件:

Court also said jury was not properly instructed on Ms. Wanrow%27s defense of self-defense. We emphasized that Ms. Wanrow, a small woman who was partially disabled at the time & whose children were present in the home, must be allowed to present to the jury her perception of the situation that night, "including those perceptions which were the product of our nation%27s %27long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination.%27

       法庭還認為:陪審團在萬柔地自衛辯護中得到的指示有欠妥當。

       我們要強調的是:萬柔體格較小,還有些殘疾,並且當時孩子在場,因此她必須被準許向陪審團陳述她對當晚情形的認知。

       “還包括那些由我們國家‘長期的不幸的性別歧視’造成的認知”

1st Case applying BWS: State v.

Kelly (N.J., 1984) held:

BWS was relevant to honesty & reasonableness of defendant%27s belief that she was in imminent danger of death or serious injury and was appropriate subject for expert testimony; defendant%27s expert%27s conclusions were sufficiently reliable under New Jersey%27s standards for scientific testimony; defendant%27s expert was sufficiently qualified; &exclusion of battered woman%27s testimony required reversal and remand for new trial.

       第一起應用受虐婦女綜合症的凱利案件認為:

受虐婦女綜合症與被告認為自己即將處於死亡或重大傷害的危險中這一信念的誠實性和合理性相關聯。受虐婦女綜合症是專家證言的恰當主題。在新澤西州科學證言標準下,被告的專家結論是完全可以信賴的;被告的專家是完全有資格的;由於未使用受虐婦女的證言,因此判決被推翻,法庭還被要求重新審理案件。

Battered Women Syndrome

受虐婦女綜合症(BWS)

BWS is not a defense, but rather A PATTERN of SYMPTOMS USED TO DESCRIBE THE EFFECTS of ABUSE on the VICTIM. BWS was coined by Dr. Lenore Walker to help juries understand the rationality of battered women’s conduct. But growing concerns about the misuse of BWS. Most states now accept BWS。

69% of states admit testimony on BWS;

12 states mandate by statute that BWS testimony be admitted in self-defense cases;

39 states permit expert testimony to show defendant fits BWS;

Initially BWS hailed as helpful, but Some adhere too strictly to BWS reliance on the CYCLE Theory, holding there are 3 phases in abusive(1. ) Tension Building; (2.)  Explosive Incident; and (3.)  Honeymoon or contrite behavior relationship:

受虐婦女綜合症不是辯護根據,而是各種症狀的樣板,用於描述虐待對受虐者產生的影響。

沃克博士印證了受虐婦女綜合症能幫助陪審團理解受虐婦女行為的合理性這一點

但越來越擔心對受虐婦女綜合症的濫用

大多數的州現在接受受虐婦女綜合症

       69%的州準許使用受虐婦女綜合症

       12個州的法令要求在自衛的案件中準許使用受虐婦女綜合症

       39個州準許專家作證,證明被告符合受虐婦女綜合症。

最初使用受虐婦女綜合症很有幫助,但一些人太過遵守受虐婦女綜合症對“循環理論”的依賴關係,認為在虐待關係中有三個階段

      (1. )日趨緊張期

      (2.) 爆炸性事件

      (3.)平靜期或悔悟引行為

Cycle Theory problematic because Less than half of victims found it accurate;  + Some courts want facts to strictly adhere to cycle theory’s sequence or they will not find the defendant was a battered woman.

“循環理論”很有問題,因為:不到一半的受害者認為它是準確的;一些法庭要求事實與循環理論的步驟嚴格吻合,否則他們將不把被告視為受虐婦女。

e.g. Thigpen v. State (Ga. 2001)

Court said that violence perpetrated against woman by her ex-hu*****and did not span a prolonged period of time as required by BWS. Therefore, she could not use BWS to explain why she killed her hu*****and within a year of the abuse starting. Thigpen court continued,

Her “swift response in seeking a restraining order . . . falls far short of demonstrating the ‘psychological paralysis’ that is the hallmark of BWS.” This shows hypocrisy of criticizing those who don’t take immediate action against batterer, but punishing those who do.

       塞格朋案

法庭稱:該婦女的前夫對她的暴力行為未能持續施虐婦女綜合症要求的那麽長的時間。因此,她不能使用受虐婦女綜合症來解釋她為何在暴力開始後的一年內就把她的丈夫殺害了。

塞格朋的審判法院繼續道:

       她申請限製令的迅速反應遠不能證明“心理癱瘓”這一受虐婦女綜合症的特點。

       這顯示了一種偽善:那些對施虐者不立即采取行動的婦女被批評,然而采取了行動的婦女卻被懲罰了。

State v. Hagerty    (Tenn. 2002)

Trial court said that battered woman had voluntarily stayed in bad relationship, so no need to have expert explain her behavior. But Court of Appeals said that an expert should be permitted to explain why she had stayed. Walker says battered women engage in LEARNED HELPLESSNESS She defines this as a victim’s learned, but mistaken belief that she is not powerful enough to escape.

Problems with learned helplessness:

Many survivors are insulted by this concept. It infers volition; that battered women stay in violent relationships even with appealing options.

This ignores the myriad economic, social, psychological + legal obstacles victims face.

BWS may offer demeaning portrayals of abuse victims that are inaccurate & highly prejudicial.

BWS essentializes the definition of woman; making it hard to defend anyone not fitting the model of “perfect woman.”

海格提案件

初審法庭稱:受虐婦女是自願留在暴力關係當中的,所以沒有必要讓專家解釋她的行為。但是上訴法庭稱應準許專家解釋為何她留下了沃克博士說受虐婦女陷入習得性無助她把受虐者認為自己沒有足夠的能力逃脫的這個觀念定義為是習得的但卻是錯誤的觀念。與習得性無助有關的問題一些幸存者被這個概念所侮辱這推斷出選擇;盡管麵對誘人的選擇,受虐婦女仍呆在暴力關係中。這忽略了受虐者麵臨得無數經濟、社會、精神及法律障礙。

受虐婦女綜合症描述受虐婦女時可能會貶低她們,這些描述可能不準確,還可能帶有非常大的偏見。受虐婦女綜合症精煉了婦女的定義;使得很難為那些不符合“完美女人”標準的被告進行辯護

3. BWS tends perpetuate race + class

    Stereotypes

Worst against Black women as hostile, over-bearing, sexually promiscuous, tough;  Prof. Shelby Moore argues this makes it hard for Black women to receive fair trial;Judges & jurors may blame the victim for the abuse + assume she could have left.

受虐婦女綜合症會使種族和階層的陳見長期存在對黑人婦女成見最深。黑人婦女被認為是充滿敵意的,專橫的,性關係混雜的,凶惡的。摩爾教授爭論道:這使得黑人婦女很難獲得公正的審判。法官和陪審團成員會將虐待歸咎於受虐者。他們認為她本可以離開。

D.  Positive Use of BWS to explain積極地使用受虐婦女綜合症來解釋:

1.    Why woman may perceive imminent, life-threatening danger when a man would not;

       為何婦女會認知到迫近的,威脅生命的危險,而男性不能;

2.    Why abuse victim stayed with batterer;

       為何受虐者留在施虐者身邊

3.    Why she may have committed crimes to appease her batterer; or

       為何她可能為了滿足施虐者而犯罪

4.    Any other seemingly irrational behavior.

       其他看起來不理性的行為。

BWS used in domestic violence & child abuse prosecutions:

用於家庭暴力和兒童虐待訴訟中的受虐婦女綜合症

In State v. Searles, 141 N.H. 224, 680 A.2d 612, 57 A.L.R.5th 819 (1996),

held that trial court properly admitted expert testimony on the domestic-violence syndrome

       where 2 key prosecution witnesses in an assault prosecution, the wife + daughter of the defendant, had downplayed their injuries and the defendant%27s conduct. The court recognized the relevancy of the testimony, even though the defendant had not specifically attacked the witnesses‘ credibility.

       認為初審法庭恰當地準許了專家關於家庭暴力綜合症的證言 在一起侵害訴訟中兩個關鍵的起訴證人-被告的妻子和女兒忽視了她們受到的傷害以及被告的行為。法庭認識到了證言的相關性,盡管被告沒有特意攻擊證人的可信度。

Bechtel v. State (Oklahoma, 1992)

貝克泰爾案件

“In prosecution for 1st degree murder, trial court erred in not allowing expert testimony on battered woman syndrome. BWS has gained substantial scientific acceptance & will aid trier of fact in deciding facts in issue, that is, reasonableness & imminence when testimony is offered in cases of self defense.” Bechtel v. State  (Oklahoma, 1992) said:  Before such testimony may be admitted: defendant must offer evidence that establishes herself as "battered woman";expert must establish herself/himself as one who is qualified by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education to diagnose defendant as suffering from BWS; defendant, who has submitted herself to psychological or psychiatric examination . . . may be ordered . . . to submit to examination by state%27s expert witness on application by state, with defendant%27s expert allowed to be present and observe; Bechtel v. State  (Oklahoma, 1992) ,expert may not give opinion on whether defendant acted reasonably in perceiving herself as being in imminent danger & whether defendant acted in self defense; andtrial court must give in its jury charge specific instruction on standard of reasonableness. To explain why victim did not leave sooner: “Domestic violence expert%27s testimony regarding battered person syndrome . . .was admissible to explain behavior of defendant%27s girlfriend in failing to report abuse for 3 months, where defendant attempted to undermine girlfriend%27s credibility by cross-examining her about failure to report to police the same abuse that she testified about during trial, and defendant introduced his own witnesses to show that girlfriend never seemed scared of defendant and did not report any abuse by him.”

在一級謀殺的起訴中,初審法庭犯了錯誤,它沒有準許受虐婦女綜合症的專家證言。受虐婦女綜合症的科學性被廣泛接受,將幫助確定哪些是事實,即,當自衛案件中提供證言的合理性和迫切性。貝克泰爾案件中提到:在這些證言被承認之前:被告必須提供能證實自己是受虐婦女的證據;專家必須證實自己是稱職的,具有相應的知識、技能、受過培訓或者教育來診斷被告正遭受受虐婦女綜合症;接受心理或精神檢查的被告,會被命令接受政府專家證人的檢查,被告的專家可被允許在場觀察。在被告認為自己處於迫近的危險當中這一點是否合理以及被告是否是為自衛才犯罪,專家不可以給意見。關於合理性標準,初審法庭必須給陪審團具體的指示受害者為何沒有早些離開:家庭暴力專家關於受虐者的證言…被準許解釋被告的女友為何3個月都沒有報告虐待。當被告試圖通過對她未能向警察報告虐待(在初審時她說有虐待)這一點來破壞這位女友的可信度時。被告傳入了自己的證人,來證明這位女友似乎從不害怕被告,也未報告過任何他虐待她的事情。

Alvarado v. State (Georgia, 2002).

Ineffective counsel failed to argue cumulative effect of physical & mental abuse on battered defendant’s perception of danger.

Commonwealth v. Stonehouse, 555 A.2d 772 (Pa. 1989)

Laws may be facially gender-neutral, but social subordination of women results in disparate outcomes. So, important for lawyer to explain how this individual woman was impacted by the abuse. Term “Battered  Woman’s Syndrome” may be repugnant to some, but it is now codified in much statutory & case law. Thus, lawyers may have to use the term as a means of describing this abuse victim’s response to battering.

Preferable is Texas Code Crim Proc. Art 38.36 Evidence in Prosecutions for Murder

辯護不夠有效,未能提出生理和心理虐待給受虐婦女對危險的認知產生累計影響這一論點。

法律可能表麵上性別中立,但是婦女在社會的從屬地位使得結局迥異

所以對律師來說,解釋虐待給某特定婦女帶來了怎樣的影響這一點是很重要的

對於受虐婦女綜合症這個術語一些人看法不一致,但是它目前已被編入成文法和案例法中

所以,律師們也許得用這個術語來描述受虐者對虐待的反應

比較好的是德克薩斯州法典第38.36條

謀殺訴訟中的證據:

(a.)  In all prosecutions for murder, the state or the defendant shall be permitted to offer testimony as to all relevant facts and circumstances surrounding the killing and the previous relationship existing between the accused and the deceased together with all relevant facts and circumstances going to show the condition of the mind of the accused at the time of the offense. Texas Code Crim Proc. Art 38.36 Evidence in Prosecutions for Murder

在所有謀殺的指控中,公訴方或者被告應被允許提供與謀殺相關的事實和情形,以及被告和死者先前的關係的證言。還有顯示在犯罪發生時候被告的思想狀態的相關事實和情況。

德克薩斯州法典第38.36條

謀殺訴訟中的證據:

(b) In a prosecution for murder, if a defendant raises as a defense a justification the defendant, in order to establish the defendant‘s reasonable belief that use of force or deadly force was immediately necessary, shall be permitted to offer:

在一起謀殺訴訟中,為了證實被告完全有理由相信使用致命武力是迫切的必需的,被告應被準許提供:

(1) relevant evidence that the defendant had been the victim of acts of family violence committed by the deceased; and

能證明被告是死者家庭暴力的受害者的證據;

(2) relevant expert testimony regarding the condition of the mind of the defendant at the time of the offense, including those relevant facts and circumstances relating to family violence that are the basis of the expert‘s opinion.

與被告犯罪時的精神狀態有關的專家證詞,包括與家庭暴力相關的事實和情況(專家意見就是據此形成的)。

Expert testimony may be necessary

to introduce BWS or its equivalent:

為了介紹受虐婦女綜合症或相應的症狀,專家證言也許是必要的

Why this victim stayed

       為何受虐者留下了

The impact of the abuse on this victim

       虐待給受虐者的影響

OR to generally explain common behavior of victims being unable to leave immediately after the abuse  AND

       或者大概地解釋被虐以後無法馬上離開的受虐者通常會有的行為

Typical impact on victims.

       對受虐者的典型影響

Challenging Issues in U.S.

美國一些有挑戰性的問題

Astonishing degree of incompetence among lawyers representing abuse victims in criminal cases.

       在刑事案件中代理虐待受害者的律師能力低的驚人。

State v. Betty Lou Beets(Tx. 2000)貝蒂案件

Atty obtained media rights to her life story in exchange for representation

       律師以獲得她生平的故事的媒體權為交換,為她代理案件。

Atty failed testify that he had told her of insurance policy

       律師未能證明他已經告訴她保險政策

As a result, she was convicted of murder for remuneration – given death penalty

       結果,她被判謀殺-死刑

Executed in Texas Feb. 2001

       於2001年2月在德克薩斯州被處決

2. People v. Day 案件  (California, 1992)

Defendant claimed the deceased (the man with whom she lived) frequently beat her + that she killed in self-defense,

       被告聲稱死者(她與他同居)經常打她+她殺他是為了自衛,

defendant was rendered ineffective assistance of counsel by counsel%27s failure to investigate and present evidence of battered woman syndrome (BWS) (characteristics of women who stay in abusive relationships).

       律師未能給被告進行有效辯護,因為他未能調查及出示受虐婦女綜合症(處於虐待關係中的婦女的特征)

“This evidence was admissible to rehabilitate defendant after the prosecutor impeached her by urging that her conduct, i.e., engaging in violent conduct during the relationship, failing to escape the relationship, and fleeing after the killing, was inconsistent with self-defense.”

       “在公訴人檢舉被告,認為她的行為(牽涉同居暴力、未能脫離同居關係,殺人後逃竄)與她的自衛不相吻合後,受虐婦女綜合症這個證據被準許用來為被告平反。

People v. Day 案件  (California, 1992)

“BWS evidence would have deflected the prosecutor%27s challenge to defendant%27s credibility by dispelling commonly held misperceptions of women living in abusive circumstances and explaining behavior that may appear unreasonable to the average person.

       受虐婦女綜合症這一證據,通過消除對處於虐待關係中的婦女的錯誤認識,以及解釋常人看來不合理的行為,可以減弱公訴人對被告可信度的質疑。

Moreover, not only was defense counsel unaware of BWS, he perpetuated several erroneous notions about battered women.”

       而且,不僅辯護律師不知道受虐婦女綜合症,他還使一些關於受虐婦女的錯誤觀念繼續下去了。

B. Poor treatment further compounded by judges refusing to apply the law.法官拒絕應用這個法則加劇了不適當的處置

Judy Haney (Alabama 1991)

朱蒂案件

Atty so drunk that trial suspended.

       律師醉得一塌糊塗,因此審判被暫停。

She was convicted of first degree murder, given death penalty in Alabama.

       她被判為一級謀殺罪,判處死刑。

Atty did not produce hospital records & other evidence corroborating horrific abuse Judy & daughter suffered at hands of hu*****and she killed.

       律師沒能提供醫院證明以及其他證據來證明朱蒂和她女兒在死者手上遭受了可怕的虐待。

2. Case outcome predicated on:

案件結局的預測根據:

Battered woman’s lawyer 受虐婦女的律師

The judge 法官

If she is a woman of color 如果她是有色人種婦女

If she’s poor 如果她很貧困

C. Lawyers often fail to convey full history & impact of abuse.

律師常常不能完整地傳達虐待的曆史和影響

Whether by use of experts or other witnesses, lawyers must better explain what this victim has endured.

不管使用專家或是其他證人,律師必須更好地解釋受虐者忍受了什麽。

Abuse against women has often been severe:

對婦女的虐待常常很嚴重:

Rapes  強奸

Knife & other stabbings 刀傷及其他刺傷

Gunshots 槍擊

Closed fist 拳擊

Strangulation 勒死

Forced watch abuse of children 強迫觀看虐待兒童

Then why don’t they leave?

那麽她們為何不離開?

Lack money 缺錢

No job skills 沒有工作技能

Low self-esteem 缺乏自信

Lack support network 缺乏支持網絡

No place to go 無處可去

Prior bad experience with system 先前的經驗導致的對社會製度的壞印象

Own criminal record 自身的犯罪記錄

Obstacles to Leaving, continued:

離開的障礙還有:

Don’t speak English or are illiterate不會說英語或者沒文化

INS fears 懼怕移民局

Mental health issues – depression精神健康問題-壓抑

Medical problems 醫療問題

Disabilities 殘疾

Addiction  癮

Fear of Child Protective Services 懼怕兒童保護服務

Obstacles to Leaving, continued:

離開的障礙還有:

Fear of retaliation 擔心報複

Fear of losing child custody 擔心失去孩子的監護

Self-blame 自責

Faith dictates staying 信念致使留下

Belief that kids need father-figure 堅信孩子需要父親

No car 沒有車

No knowledge of resources 不知道資源

What does a mother + 2 children get on welfare per month?

一個母親和兩個孩子每月能獲得多少福利?

 New Hampshire   $550; Texas  $208(新罕不什爾州:550美元;德克薩斯州:208美元)

50% of states pay < $400 (50%的州支付 < 400美元)

THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO LIVE ON!

這根本不夠賴以生存

“50 Obstacles to Leaving a.k.a. Why Victims Stay,”

‘50個離開的障礙’,也叫做‘為何受害者留下’

By Sarah M. Buel, in Colorado Lawyer (1998).

VI. Distinguishing Battered Defendants

區別受虐的被告

Typically are crime victims previously betrayed by system

主要是先前曾被社會體製背叛的受害者

Battered women afforded legal services as victims are rarely compelled to crime.

作為受害者時得到過法律服務的受虐婦女很少會犯罪

Dr. Angela Browne, Centers for Disease Control Study

Ineffective counsel may not be as obvious as Beets & Haney

 比茨 & 漢妮案件中的辯護不力尤其明顯

May be lawyer who makes no effort to really listen to battered client.

可能是個不曾費心真正地去傾聽自己的委托人(受虐者)的律師

2. Dual or Victim Arrest

雙雙逮捕還是逮捕受虐者

Too many true victims arrested due to sloppy, lazy or vengeful cops

由於警察的粗心,懶散或者由於他們想報複,很多真正的受害者被逮捕

Mutual combat extremely rare. . .

互毆是極端少見的

Batterers over-report being hit, while victims over-report their hitting – even if in self-defense.

施虐者誇大被打,受虐者也誇大被打--即使是在自衛

“Domestic violence is a planned pattern of coercive control.”

“家庭暴力是一種有計劃的強製控製”

David Adams, Ph.D., Batterer’s Treatment Expert – 25 yrs.

大衛·亞當斯博士,施虐者治療專家-25年

“Pattern of abuse creates long-term danger & trauma for victim.”

虐待給受虐者造成長期的危險和創傷

Donald Dutton, Ph.D. – batterer’s expert & author

唐納德·多頓博士-施虐者專家,作家

3. Empirical studies document unwillingness of  many judges to apply the law for battered defendants –

NYU Prof. Holly Maguigan’s study of battered women defendants in U.S.

經驗研究表明:很多法官不太願意對受虐被告應用這條法則--紐約大學霍莉· 瑪桂甘教授的研究:《美國受虐婦女被告》

Duress – court did not allow:

脅迫--法庭不允許:

Expert testimony that defendant, convicted of carrying gun during commission of drug offense, suffered from BWS, was properly excluded as irrelevant to defendant%27s asserted duress defense, where testimony dealt with defendant%27s subjective perceptions stemming from syndrome, and where district court allowed into evidence all objective evidence of defendant%27s fear of alleged batterer, including testimony as to batterer%27s violent nature and all specific instances of abuse defendant had suffered.U.S. v. Willis, C.A.5 (Tex.)1994, 38 F.3d 170,

       在進行被告由受虐婦女綜合症引起的主觀認知的證言時,以及地區法院準許采納所有能證明被告懼怕所謂的施虐者的客觀證據(包括關於施虐者的暴力天性及所有具體的受虐者被告的受虐例證)時,被判在毒品犯罪中攜帶槍支的被告,患有受虐婦女綜合症這一專家證言未被法庭采納,因為被認為與被告的脅迫辯解無關。法庭的這一做法是恰當的

BWS permitted in United States v Marenghi (Maine, 1995).

在United States v Marenghi 案件中允許使用受虐婦女綜合症

In drug prosecution, defendant would be allowed to introduce expert testimony about battered-woman syndrome

       在毒品起訴中,被告將被允許引入關於受虐婦女綜合症的專家證言

as part of duress defense to show special vulnerability to fear.

       作為脅迫辯護的一部分,表明特別易於恐懼

B. Some states’ laws

一些州的法律:

Prohibit firing abuse victim for taking time to go to court (protective order, trial)

       禁止因為受虐者花時間去法庭(獲取保護性命令,初審)而將其開除

Permit employers to get protective order preventing abuser from coming to victim’s job

       允許雇員獲取保護性命令以防止施虐者來單位

Provide worker’s comp for victim forced to leave job due to batterer

       當受虐者因為施虐者被迫離開職位時,提供工作補貼

THEORY IN THE CONTEXT OF PRACTICE    

在實踐框架下的理論

The Gap Between Theory and Practice

       理論和實踐的距離

1.  Battered defendants charged with

         non-domestic violence crimes =

          majority female offenders

       被指控非家庭暴力犯罪的受虐者被告=大多數的女性罪犯

2. Safety Planning for Clients

為委托人作安全計劃

Out on bail: batterer &/or his family may retaliate & harass her

       保釋:施虐者和/或他的家人也許會報複和騷擾她

In custody: high rates of abuse by guards & fellow inmates

       拘留:被守衛和同室者虐待的可能性高

Investigating & Documenting

     the Abuse

對虐待的調查及記錄

Exculpatory evidence from prosecutor

       公訴人的證明無罪的證據

Using investigator & family to get full history of abuse, life story

       運用調查員和家人,以獲得完整的虐待史,及生活經曆

Ensure court knows full range of crimes committed against your client – (see p. 43 of article for incomplete list)

       保證法庭知曉對你的委托人所犯的所有罪行-(請看文章第43頁)

4. Educate court re: significance of abuse in THIS case

將“本案件”中虐待的重要性讓法院知道

*not just physical abuse, but coping mechanisms of victim

不僅僅是身體虐待,還有受虐者的處理方式

*how class, race, etc. impacted her

階層,種族等是如何影響她的

Adequate  Jury Selection

陪審團的選擇

Attitudes about battered women who don’t leave immediately after abuse

       對被虐之後沒有馬上離開的婦女的態度

Ignorance about the obstacles to leaving

       忽視離開的障礙

Bias about women who drink, do drugs

       對喝酒或吸毒的婦女的偏見

Stereotypes about race, class

       對於種族,階層的陳見

6. Presenting relevant evidence

出示相關證據

Expert testimony專家證言

Medical records醫療記錄

Defendant’s own testimony: history abuse被告自己的證詞:虐待史

Witnesses 證人

Showing bias of state’s witnesses顯示證人的偏見

7. Expert Witnesses專家證人

Predicate Issues

EXPERIENTIAL vs. SCIENTIFIC EXPERT

經驗專家vs.科學專家

Kumho Tire v. Carmichael(Supreme Court, 1999): clarifying that experiential witnesses should held to same standards & respect for their expertise.

Kumho Tire v. Carmichael案件(最高法院,1999)澄清:有經驗的證人的意見應被給予同等的尊重

b. Issues for Expert給專家的問題

Why victim stayed with abuser

       為何受虐者留在施虐者身邊

General Battered Woman Syndrome

       一般的受虐婦女綜合症

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

       創傷後應激障礙

Help-seeking behavior based on THIS victim’s skills, knowledge, etc.

       在這個特定的受虐者的技能、知識基礎上尋求幫助的行為

c. Choosing an Expert選擇專家

Shelter advocate 庇護所倡導人

Cop 巡警

Nurse 護士

Social worker 社會工作者

Ph.D. 博士

Legal Advice Reflecting Ethical Standard of Competent Representation    

法律意見反應了稱職代理的道德標準

Sometimes difficult with private lawyers taking pro bono cases.

有時對於做公益案件的私營律師是很難的

C. Failure to Protect Cases

未能保護案件

Target women who are poor, of color, or both

       把貧困婦女或有色婦女(或兩者兼之)當目標

NYC In Re Nicholson case: battered women charged with “engaging in domestic violence”

       紐約大學關於尼克生案件:被控涉嫌家庭暴力的受虐婦女

Judge Jack Weinstein said:

法官傑克· 溫斯坦說:

system of court-appointed counsel was a “sham”

       法庭指派律師的體製是“偽劣品”

Many years of “pitiless double abuse of these mothers” violated their rights under the 4th, 9th, 13th and 14th Amendments

       多年來“無情的對這些母親的加倍虐待”侵犯了他們在第4,9,13和14號修正案下的權利

Awarded Ms. Nicholson $150,000 + similar for other plaintiffs

       判給了尼克生太太15萬美元+與其他原告相似

謝謝!

Prof. Sarah Bue



請閱讀更多我的博客文章>>>
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