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NCJRS Abstract


The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Library collection.
To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the NCJRS Abstracts Database.

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NCJ Number: NCJ 194069     Find in a Library
Title: Trial Strategies in Domestic Violence Felonies
Series: NIJ Research Report
Author(s): Carolyn C. Hartley Ph.D. ; Roxann Ryan J.D.
Corporate Author: University of Iowa
School of Social Work
United States
Date Published: 1998
Page Count: 31
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice
US Dept Justice
Office of Justice Programs
United States
Grant Number: 95-WT-NX-0003
Sale Source: University of Iowa
School of Social Work
North Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242
United States

NCJRS Photocopy Services
Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
United States
Document: PDF 
Agency Summary: Agency Summary 
Dataset: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR02811
Type: Studies/research reports
Language: English
Country: United States
Annotation: This study identified the trial strategies used by the prosecution and defense in 40 felony domestic-violence cases (21 murder cases and 19 non-murder cases) in Iowa between 1989 and 1995.
Abstract: Trial transcripts were scanned into computer files, edited, and analyzed by using the HyperResearch qualitative text analysis program. Three prosecution themes were present in every case: proof that the charged crime had occurred, proof that the defendant was responsible for this crime, and proof of the credibility of the state's evidence of the defendant's guilt. In proving the elements of the crime, prosecutors generally attempted to "tell the story" of the violence, sometimes by including a history of abuse in the relationship and other times focusing only on the violent offense charged. Most prosecutors sought to present some form of corroboration of the victim's account. Defense attorneys generally focused on one of four themes, although there was overlap in some cases: self-defense or provocation, showing that the offense warranted a lesser charge, diminished responsibility, and attempting to raise reasonable doubt that the defendant even committed the crime. The defense used a variety of strategies to pursue these themes. They included attempting to show that the relationship was fine; enhancing the character of the defendant; challenging prosecution evidence as faulty, misleading or inconclusive; and attacking the victim's character. With these strategies, the defense manipulated many common views of abuse dynamics and myths about domestic violence. In order to understand the potential implications of this exploitation of abuse dynamics and myths, the study drew upon research on how jurors make decisions about guilt or innocence in criminal trials. The "story model" of decision making in the trial procedure is the most well-developed model of jury decision making. If jurors accept the commonly held myths about domestic violence, they may "fill in the blanks" with an unrealistic view of the violent relationship, and their evaluation of the evidence may be skewed. Thus, jurors need information about the context of the abusive relationship, because domestic violence is not a commonly understood phenomenon that would make decision making routine for the jurors. Prosecutors must therefore enlighten jurors about the dynamics of abuse by "telling the story" of the abusive relationship. The use of expert testimony is the most direct method for achieving this. 26 notes
Main Term(s): Court procedures
Index Term(s): Expert witnesses ; Trial procedures ; Defense ; Prosecution ; Jury decisionmaking ; Domestic assault ; NIJ grant-related documents ; Iowa
Note: Dataset may be archived by the NIJ Data Resources Program at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
 
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=194069

* A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's web site is provided.


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