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Battered Women Who Kill

An Empirical Analysis of Public Perceptions of Seriousness in Israel From a Consensus Theoretical Perspective

Institute of Criminology, Jerusalem

Criminal statutes on murder are usually cited as supporting the consensus model of criminal law (i.e., accurately representing public sentiment). Innovatively, Israel recently modified law to recognize motive as a mitigating factor with murder following prolonged domestic abuse. This article presents and discusses the results of a national sample survey of Israeli respondents assessing the extent to which this modification of law reflects public attitudes toward the seriousness of such cases. The survey, based on a factorial design methodology, assessed public perceptions of seriousness of and appropriate punishment for killings committed by battered partners against their abuser and compared them to perceived seriousness of and appropriate punishment for other homicide cases committed because of other motives. The findings—broad consensus regarding the extreme seriousness of most murders and the lesser seriousness of domestic abuse murders—support the consensus model of crime in relation to the recently modified Israeli homicide law. Implications are discussed.

Key Words: seriousness perceptions • battered women who kill • Israel • consensus model

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