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What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Why Women Kill

Mar 3, 2025
Rachel Louise Snyder, a journalist and author of "No Visible Bruises," dives into the troubling realities of women incarcerated for homicide. She discusses a striking statistic: 20% of these women killed their abusive partners. Snyder highlights the failures of self-defense laws in protecting victims and advocates for much-needed reforms. Through powerful anecdotes, she reveals the harrowing journey of women trapped in cycles of violence, ultimately calling for a justice system that truly understands and defends vulnerable women.
37:04

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Around 20% of incarcerated women for homicide killed their abusive partners, highlighting the intersection of domestic violence and legal consequences.
  • Self-defense laws in the U.S. often fail to protect women from long-term abuse, necessitating reform to better address their unique situations.

Deep dives

Connection Between Domestic Violence and Homicide

Research reveals a significant intersection between domestic violence and homicide convictions among incarcerated women. Approximately 20% of women convicted of homicide had killed their abusive partners, whereas many others experienced abuse, which coerced them into criminal actions. Examples include women being forced to participate in covering up crimes or threatened to commit other violent acts against others. This underscores the complexity of their situations and suggests that many may have turned to violence as a desperate response to ongoing victimization.

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