Why Do Battered Women Serve Time for Killing Their Abusers?

battered woman in jail for killing abuser

Acting in self-defense is supposed to be one of the rare situations in which a person may legally take another’s life. Self-defense is the reasonable use of force to protect oneself or another from bodily harm upon an aggressor’s attack. The person using self-defense must have a reason to believe his or her life is […]

Suspended vs. Revoked Florida Driver’s License

Driving in the state of Florida is a privilege upon which many people rely to fulfill their basic needs. From getting to and from our jobs to trekking across town with a trunk full of groceries, our lives would be considerably hindered without the ability to drive. No city in Florida is known for having […]

Florida’s Self-Defense Laws Fail Women

Common law has always provided for the use of deadly force in self-defense when an attacker threatens death, serious bodily injury, and sometimes a serious felony. Under common law, a person in fear of his or her life had a duty to retreat before using deadly force unless he or she was within his or […]

Rape on Rise in Florida

Florida residents are sure to welcome news of reduced crime throughout the state. Statistics from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed that the overall crime rate in the country’s third-most populated state is trending downward and that the decrease has affected the rates of both violent and property crime. On the surface, the crime […]

Is it Illegal to House a Runaway Child?

Millions of children throughout the country endure difficult living conditions that affect their overall well-being. For some, their home life is so detrimental that it pushes them to run away from home. In 2002, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention estimated 1.6 million youth run away each year in the United States. The […]

The Majority of Incarcerated Women are Abuse Survivors

Mass incarceration has dominated discussions surrounding policing and prison reform for several years. With just 5% of the global population, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and holds nearly a quarter of all the world’s prisoners. Mostly, the conversations about mass incarceration have focused on reducing the number of male […]

Drug-Free School Zones Lead to Unfair Sentencing

A person who faces drug charges stands to face harsher penalties upon a conviction if he or she was within a drug-free zone at the time of the offense. When drug-free laws were promoted in 1970, the premise was to keep children safe from drug dealers and users. Back then, legislators began to designate specific […]

Over 450 People Ordered to Surrender Firearms in Florida

Throughout the state of Florida, hundreds of gun owners are being forced to give up their weapons because they have a risk protection order against them. Under Florida’s new Risk Protection Act, authorities can temporarily confiscate the weapons of citizens whom a judge has deemed a threat to themselves or others. In Pinellas County, the […]

Two Women Resign from NFLPA Domestic Violence Commission

Many employers considering job candidates would reconsider a person who has been accused or charged with a violent crime such as an act of domestic violence or sexual assault, even if that person met all of the qualifications for the position. There is much evidence to suggest that the NFL is not like most employers. […]

Understanding Accomplice Liability in Florida

Many people are surprised to discover criminal charges against them for crimes they did not commit. An accomplice to a crime is a person who intentionally facilitates a criminal act by another person. Whether this person helps or encourages the person committing the crime, he may eventually face consequences that are as serious as if […]