Women Who Kill, Intimate Partner Violence, and Forensic Psychology

ABSTRACT When not overlooked altogether, women who kill are labeled as ‘crazy’ or ‘evil.’ The complexity of the woman’s background and motivations leads to a misunderstanding of how and why a woman could kill another, especially an intimate partner. While it is rare for a woman to kill, and rarer for her to kill her partner, intimate partner violence often predates lethal acts. Frequently, women who use lethal force are survivors of child abuse or domestic violence and their adverse experiences play major contributing roles in their crimes. This special issue on women who kill seeks to fill the gaps in research in elaborating on who these women are, their motivations, other details about their violence, and how they can be aided throughout psychological evaluation and proper expert testimony. Articles within this issue discuss common themes found among women who kill as well as how psychologists may assist in litigation (e.g., consultation, evaluation, and expert witness testimony). Furthermore, this issue discusses women who did not kill, but were punished as if they had. This special issue is published in anticipation of offering further assistance to the criminal justice system and policymakers. We seek to highlight the points in which the legal system has failed these women and demonstrate how clinicians can provide a better understanding of how various psychological and demographic factors contribute to situations where battered women may feel the only option to ensure survival is lethal self-defense.