Battered Women and the Requirement of Imminence in Self-Defence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2013/v16i1a2305Keywords:
Imminence and battered women, abused women, necessity and abused women, self-defence, self-defence and abused women, defences for abused women, battered woman syndrome and imminence, , right to life, putative defence, cycle of viole, proportionality and self-defence, justification and excuse and self-defenceAbstract
Should the South African courts abolish the traditional imminence standard, something must be used to stand in its place. The identification of the various alternatives which have been suggested to replace imminence - most notably the establishment of the "reasonable woman standard" as advanced in the case of S v Engelbrecht 2005 (92) SACR 41 (W) - has moved the law of self-defence into the realm of subjectivity. The end result not only undermines self-defence as a justification defence, but is also unworkable for a number of reasons. For instance, utilising expert testimony to explain how the battered woman’s syndrome affects individual perception would leave a judge with no meaningful way to determine if that abused woman’s belief in the imminence of danger was reasonable, even if viewed from her distorted perspective. It is suggested that no reference need be made to the "reasonable battered woman", since South African courts already do this to a limited extent by taking a number of factors into account in determining if the abused woman acted reasonably. By rethinking certain factors in the situation as a set of relatively innocuous normative propositions, the abused woman’s actions can be judged in accordance with standard propositions in the law of self-defence.
Downloads
References
Bibliography
Aggergaard 2002 Wm Mitchell L Rev
Aggergaard SP "Criminal Law-Retreat from Reason: How Minnesota's New No-retreat Rule Confuses the Law and Cries for Alteration" 2002 Wm Mitchell L Rev 657-694
Ally and Viljoen 2003 SACJ
Ally D and Viljoen F "Homicide in Defence of Property in an Age of Constitutionalism" 2003 SACJ 121-136
APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed (APA Washington 1994)
Ashworth Principles of Criminal Law
Ashworth A Principles of Criminal Law 4th ed (Oxford University Press Oxford 2003)
Bruce 2003 SAJHR
Bruce "Killing and the Constitution - Arrest and the Use of Lethal Force" 2003 SAJHR 430-454
Burchell and Hunt General Principles of Criminal Law (1970)
Burchell EM and Hunt PMA South African Criminal Law and Procedure: General Principles of Criminal Law Vol 1 (Juta Cape Town 1970)
Burchell and Hunt General Principles of Criminal Law (1983)
Burchell EM and Hunt PMA South African Criminal Law and Procedure: General Principles of Criminal Law Vol 1 2nd ed (Juta Cape Town 1983)
Burchell and Milton Principles of Criminal Law (1997)
Burchell JM and Milton JRL Principles of Criminal Law 2nd ed (Juta Cape Town 1997)
Burchell and Milton Principles of Criminal Law (2005)
Burchell JM and Milton JRL Principles of Criminal Law 3rd ed (Juta Cape Town 2005)
Burke 2002 N C L Rev
Burke AS "Rational Actors, Self-Defense and Duress; Making Sense not Syndromes out of the Battered Woman" 2002 N C L Rev 211-316
De Wet and Swanepoel Strafreg
De Wet JC and Swanepoel HL Strafreg 4th ed (Butterworths Durban 1985)
Ferzan 2004 Ariz L Rev
Ferzan KK "Defending Imminence: From Battered Women to Iraq" 2004 Ariz L Rev 213-262
Flack 1999 Responsa Meridiana
Flack L "The South African Criminal Law under Analysis in our new Constitutional Dispensation: Are we Looking for an 'Excuse'? An Exposition of S v Goliath 1972 (3) SA 1 (A)" 1999 Responsa Meridiana 69-78
Fletcher 1996 U Pitt L Rev
Fletcher GP "Domination in the Theory of Justification and Excuse" 1996 U Pitt L Rev 507-553
Goldman 1994 Case W Res L Rev
Goldman LE "Non-confrontational Killings and the Appropriate Use of Battered Child Syndrome Testimony: The Hazards of Subjective Self-defense and the Merits of Partial Excuse" 1994 Case W Res L Rev 185-250
Hatcher 2003 NYU Ann Surv Am L
Hatcher GH "The Gendered Nature of the Battered Woman Syndrome: Why Gender Neutrality Does not Mean Gender Equality" 2003 NYU Ann Surv Am L 21-50
Heller 1998 Am J Crim L
Heller K.J "Beyond the Reasonable Man? A Sympathetic but Critical Assessment of the Use of Subjective Standards of Reasonableness in Self-defense and Provocation Cases" 1998 Am J Crim L 1-120
Kazan 1997 Man L J
Kazan P "Reasonableness, Gender Difference and Self-defense Law" 1997 Man L J 549-576
Kaufman 2007 New Crim L Rev
Kaufman WRP "Self-defense, Imminence, and the Battered Woman" 2007 New Crim L Rev 342-369
Kreminitzer and Ghanayim 2004 U Tulsa L Rev
Kremnitzer M and Ghanayim K "Twenty-five Years of George P. Fletcher's Rethinking Criminal Law: Proportionality and the Aggressor's Culpability in Self-defense" 2004 U Tulsa L Rev 834-875
Labuschagne 1998 THRHR
Labuschagne JMT "Die Mishandelde Vrou-sindroom, Die Redelike Persoon-standaard end ie Grense van Noodweer" 1998 THRHR 538-541
Labuschagne 1999 Stell L R
Labuschagne JMT "Die Proses van Dekonkretisering van Noodweer in die Strafreg: 'n Regsantropologiese Evaluasie" 1999 Stell L R 56-68
Labuschagne 2003 Obiter
Labuschagne JMT "Geregtigheidse Misdaadelementologie en 'n Subjektiewe Omskrywing van Noodweer: Opmerking oor Onlangse Ontwikkeling in die Engelse en Skotse Reg" 2003 Obiter 103-120
Milton Common Law Crimes
Milton JRL South African Criminal Law and Procedure: Common Law Crimes Vol 2 3rd ed (Juta Cape Town 1996)
Nourse 2001 U Chi L Rev
Nourse VF "Self-defense and Subjectivity" 2001 U Chi L Rev 1189-1235
Packer Limits of Criminal Sanction
Packer HL The Limits of Criminal Sanction (Stanford University Press California 1969)
Reddi 2005 SACJ
Reddi M "Battered Woman Syndrome: Some Reflections on the Utility of this 'Syndrome' to South African Women Who Kill Their Abusers" 2005 SACJ 259-278
Ripstein 1996 U Pitt L Rev
Ripstein A "Self-defense and Equal Protection" 1996 U Pitt L Rev 685-724
Robinson Criminal Law Defenses
Robinson PH Criminal Law Defenses Vol 1 (West St Paul, Minn 1984)
Rosen 1986 Am U L Rev
Rosen CJ "The Excuse of Self-defense: Correcting a Historical Accident on Behalf of Battered Women Who Kill" 1986 Am U L Rev 1-56
Rosen 1993 N C L Rev
Rosen RA "On Self-defence, Imminence, and Women Who Kill Their Abusers" 1993 N C L Rev 371-387
Schulhofer 1990 Soc Phil & Pol
Schulhofer SJ "The Gender Question in Criminal Law" 1990 Soc Phil & Pol 76-105
Snyman 1979 Int’l & Comp L Q
Snyman CR "The Normative Concept of Mens Rea - A New Development in Germany" 1979 Int’l & Comp L Q 184-211
Snyman Criminal Law (2002)
Snyman CR Criminal Law 4th ed (Butterworths Durban 2002)
Snyman 2003 THRHR
Snyman CR "Private Defence in Criminal Law - An Unwarranted Raising of the Test of Reasonableness - S v Dougherty 2003 (2) SACR 36 (W)" 2003 THRHR 325-331
Snyman 2004 SACJ
Snyman CR "The Two Reasons for the Existence of Private Defence and Their Effect on the Rules Relating to the Defence in South Africa" 2004 SACJ 178-192
Snyman Strafreg
Snyman CR Strafreg 5th ed (Butterworths Durban 2006)
Snyman Criminal Law (2008)
Snyman CR Criminal Law 5th ed (Butterworths Durban 2008)
Stark 1995 Alb L Rev
Stark E "Re-Presenting Woman Battering: From Battered Woman Syndrome to Coercive Control" 1995 Alb L Rev 973-1026
Steyn 1932 SALJ
Steyn IVZ "Noodweer" 1932 SALJ 462-478
Struesser 1990 Man L J
Struesser L "The 'Defence' of 'Battered Woman Syndrome' in Canada" 1990 Man L J 185-195
Unikel 1992 NWU L Rev
Unikel R "Reasonable Doubts: A Critique of the Reasonable Woman Standard in American Jurisprudence" 1992 NWU L Rev 326-375
Veinsreideris 2000 U Pa L Rev
Veinsreideris ME "The Prospective Effects of Modifying Existing Law to Accommodate Pre-emptive Self-defence by Battered Women" 2000 U Pa L Rev 613-644
Walker Battered Woman
Walker LE The Battered Woman (Harper Row New York 1979)
Walker 1991 Psychotherapy
Walker LE "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Women: Diagnosis and Treatment of Battered Woman Syndrome" 1991 Psychotherapy 20-35
Register of cases
Canada
R v Lavallee 1999 55 CCC (3d)
R v Malott 1998 1 SCR 123 (SCC)
R v Melaragni 1992 96 (CCC) (3d) 78 (Ont Court GD)
R v Nelson 1992 71 CCC (3d) 449 (Ont CA)
R v Patel 1994 87 (CCC) 3d 97 (SCC)
England
Regina v Dudley Stephens 14 QBD 273 (1894)
South Africa
Du Plessis v De Klerk 1995 2 SA 40 (T)
Ex Parte Minister of Justice: In re S v Van Wyk 1967 1 SA 488 (A)
Government of Republic of South Africa v Basdeo 1996 1 SA 355 (A)
Ntanjana v Minister of Justice 1950 4 SA 398 (C)
R v Cele 1945 NPD 173
R v Hayes 1904 TS 383
R v Jack Bob 1929 SWA 32
R v K 1956 3 SA 353 (A)
R v Nomahleke 1928 GWL 8
R v Patel 1959 3 SA 121 (A)
R v Ziklalala 1953 2 SA 568 (A)
S v Baloyi 2000 1 BCLR 86 (CC)
S v De Oliviera 1993 2 SACR 59 (A)
S v Engelbrecht 2005 2 SACR 41 (W)
S v Ferriera 2004 2 SACR 454 (SCA)
S v Govender 2001 4 SA 273 (SCA)
S v Makwanyane 1995 6 BCLR 665 (CC)
S v Mnguni 1966 3 SA 776 (T)
S v Mogohlwane 1982 2 SA 587 (T)
S v Mokgiba 1999 1 SACR 534 (O)
S v Motleleni 1976 1 SA 403 (A)
S v Ntuli 1975 1 SA 429 (A)
S v Steyn 2010 1 SACR 411 (SCA)
S v T 1986 2 SA 112 (O)
S v Van Vuuren 1961 3 SA 305 (E)
S v Walters 2002 7 BCLR 663 (CC)
United States
S v Norman 378 SE 2d 8 12 (NC) 1989
Tennessee v Garner 471 US 1 (1985)
Register of legislation
Canadian Criminal Code, 1985
Constitution of Republic of South Africa, 1996
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 Samantha Goosen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}