NAPD 2024 Women's Virtual Conference

When victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are charged with crimes, their experiences of abuse may be directly relevant to their legal defense. For example, evidence of IPV may support a self-defense claim, a duress/coercion defense, refute prosecution arguments used to establish the elements of a crime or help explain a client’s seemingly confusing behavior, especially when it does not comport with what many believe is typical “victim” behavior. In cases such as these, expert testimony is often necessary to help jurors think past their own misconceptions about domestic violence and accurately evaluate the evidence presented at trial. This webinar will provide an overview of the use of expert testimony in cases involving criminalized survivors, including the fundamentals of "battered woman syndrome."