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Running
Head:
T
HESIS
2
THESIS
1
THESIS 1
F
eedback
fom the professor
–
you need to work more on developing your research question, hypotheses, and operational
definitions.
–
you have added few articles for the literature but adding more will provide credibility to your
project.
–
the result section is unclear.
Senior Level Thesis 2 (CRIM
4504
)
T
opic
–
Student’s perception towards Police Brutality among black People
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………..
Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………………..
Hypothesis …………………………………………………………………………….
Variables and Operational Definition………………………………………….
Theoretical Model and Theoretical Framework……………………………..
Literature Review…………………………………….
Methodological Approach…………………………………………..
Theoretical Model and Framework……………………….
Analysis of Study Results………………………
Statistics………………………
Conclusion…………………………………
References……………………………….
Introduction
Police brutality has always been defined as a form of civil rights violation where law enforcement officers take advantage of ordinary people by exercising excessive force against the people (Nelson, 2001). The Guardian’s research reported that police brutality skyrocketed by 312% between the years 2011 to the year 2012 when compared to the previous years. Out of these numbers, only 1 out of 100 cases got a conviction. The insular culture demonstrated in the police departments and the aggressive nature of police officers explain police brutality.
Statistics from the CBC database in 2018, it was revealed that 18 black men and black boys were among the 52 fatalities killed in encounters with the police in Toronto as they protested between 2000 and 2017 (Marcoux & Nicholson, 2020). This reveals the brutality that occurs in police in the police force. It is said that when compared to whites, the police find it easier to shoot black people, therefore leading to vast events of discrimination against this race. Therefore, police brutality has adverse effects on the Black Population. However, there are disparities in the perception of individuals in this police brutality and their effects on black people. The students surveyed have varying attitudes concerning these events such that some claims that it had no significant effects on the society while others claim that it should be brought to an end as it portrays inequality in the Canadian society.
Police brutality has many effects on the black community; one of the most common effects is creating fear in black people. A large majority of the blacks have been incarcerated at some point; many have told scary stories on their experiences on how they were arrested and what they went through while in confinement (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). It is quite a sad situation for young people growing in North America. Instead of looking up to the police for protection and safety, they fear them (Angus & Crichlow, 2018).
Many people have ended up losing their lives through police brutality (Smith & Holmes, 2014). It is heartbreaking to see all the young people that would have otherwise lived long and made a legacy ending up losing their lives in the hands of rogue police officers for very petty offences. The most recent case of George Floyd, who police officers killed despite him being on his knees and asking the police to let him be, has hit the headlines worldwide (Moore, 2020). The police force in every country is expected to be ambassadors of equality in society; they are supposed to portray equal protection and service to all citizens
Police brutality has increased racism and discrimination. The Black community feels like it is being targeted for brutality. This has led to increased hatred between the different races where one feels superior to the other. This has contributed to stagnation in economic growth as people find it difficult to work together .
Purpose of the Study
This quantitative study’s primary purpose is to understand students’ perceptions of police brutality among black people. Police brutality has increased racism and discrimination. The Black community feels like it is being targeted for brutality. This has led to increased hatred between the different races where one feels superior to the other. As a result, this has led to stagnation in economic growth as people cannot work together as a team, thus hindering great minds from taking part in the nation’s growth.
We would be exploring and analyzing the effect of police brutality and the actions taken to solve this issue. The research findings will focus on Students’ overall attitudes towards police brutality where excessive force has been used, which would be a civil rights violation, within the Canadian Justice System; Multiple theories will explain this. By studying these effects, there will be suggestions from the case studies involved and surveys distributed, which will help suggest possible ways of solving this problem. Information from the various articles will support the need for activism towards eradicating these police brutalities.
Hypothesis
Hypothesis I: Canadian police are held responsible for their misconduct against minority groups. (this is not a hypothesis)
Hypothesis II:
Black people are more likely to face police brutality than white people and other minority races.
In 2016, 27% of those detained in the United States were black Americans—double their portion of the overall population. Black teenagers make up 15percent of the total of all U.S. children but are blamed for 35% of youth arrests that year. Initially, a correlation between crime and race may seem primarily a feature of disproportionate urban poverty that is far more prevalent to Black Americans than other racial minorities. This reflects a large proportion of the enhanced risk of African Americans performing such property and violent offences. Yet white Americans overrate the percentage of Latin and blacks’ violence, ignore the reality that coloured groups are overwhelmingly victims of violence, and discount the existence of racism in criminal enforcement.
As of 2018, black Americans were incarcerated at a rate of 3.2 times compared to whites non-Hispanics, as shown in the figure above. Research also shows that black American drivers have been stopped much more than whites non-Hispanics but have been detained and searched even more likely in recent times. The reasons and consequences of these stops vary due to ethnicity, and tremendous ethnic gaps in police stoppage rates exist in some states, calling out uncontrolled racial discrimination, deliberately or not, at the mercy of the cop. An in-depth analysis of the causes of traffic arrests indicates that the officers are more inclined to stop searching Hispanic and black vehicles for discretionary purposes, for ‘investigative stops.
The above figure shows that a high proportion of black youths (35%) are arrested despite 15% of the total United States population. The white youths comprise 72 % of the overall population, yet the proportion arrested 62%, which is lower than their overall percentage.
Variables and Operational Definition
An operational definition is a statement that specifies the procedures used to measure a variable. With the definitions outlined, we can measure our project. In this study, the variables to be tested are the effects of police brutality on minority groups and student attitude towards it, (paraphrase – it is a confusing research question) the dependent variable is college students’ perception of racism and the independent variable police brutality (the independent variables are ethnicities, gender and more)
. In this research, police brutality is regarded as the act of perpetrating some awful actions of savage physical violence or great cruelty on some groups of citizens who are the blacks in this case. As the police perform their duties of maintaining order in the country, they consider race a determinant factor and subject the blacks to more adverse effects than whites. The study will be conducted using articles that portray police brutality incidents on these minorities and their effects and strategies to solve this prevailing issue. ( It would be best if you mentioned how you would measure the variable? or what are the main attributes will be included in the definition)
For this research, we will measure the attitudes of students using a likert scale by means of questions in relation to the proposed topic.
Literature Review
The CBC research on deaths recorded in Canada due to police brutality between 2000 and 2017 shows the extent to which black and indigenous races were severely overrepresented in the fatalities registered in these events (Marcoux & Nicholson, 2020). Toronto illustrates an example of the intensity of such effects whereby blacks represent 37% of these fatalities’ victims, hence showing that Blacks are more affected by these events than the whites. Ontario Human Rights Commission also argues that more blacks are 20 times more likely to be to be shot by police than white residents in the city. Therefore, portraying the extent of effects faced by the blacks following the police brutality.
The U.N. Human Rights Council also imposed condemnation on black people’s police violence, hence proving that the act causes concerns to the entire society. This argument arose particularly following the suffocation of George Floyd on May 25th (Kenny, 2020). The UNHRC purported to come up with a resolution that strongly condemns the continuing systematic racially discriminatory and violent events by police, not only in America’s united states, to be associated with human rights violations, which undermines the worth of black descent (Schwartz, 2020). Therefore, police brutality makes the blacks look like they are not worthy in society hence eliciting the extent of impacts the police brutality imposes on the blacks. Therefore, there has been a lot of advocacy by activists claiming that blacks should be rescued from such discriminatory acts.
Despite the rates of black fatalities in Canada following police brutality, the rate of arrests of incarceration of these races is still high compared to whites. Blacks and indigenous people are usually arrested over petty issues and even false allegations, leading to the prevailing overrepresentation in the justice system (WILLIAMS, 2020). White supremacy in the police force is a weapon of mass incarceration for non-whites, who are the minorities in the country. Ideally, indigenous people cover only 4.1% of the Canadian population. However, they represent one-third of provisional and federal correctional service admission, hence proving the extent to which they are subjected to adverse effects (Stelkia, 2020). They are mostly stereotyped to be related to criminals, causing distrust of minorities in the entire country.
Police brutality is considered a serious problem that undermined the psyche of civilians as human beings. This issue concerned the unnecessary use of force by a law enforcement person involving assessment and intervention. The U.S. has a tradition of police violence that affects mainly blacks. Traditionally, both the Black and the Latinx groups had law enforcement difficulties, culminating in generational trauma. These date back to slavery and felt in the culture among Black Americans. The kind of contact matters for the racial colour; for example, when the whites are addressed, it is viewed with more caution and abuse and aggression (Godley, 2018). The black citizens they threatened may be implicated in a breach of the statute. Research carried out by many groups showed that Black people are viewed less equally by military security powers relative to white people.
Police officers are not always held accountable for police misconduct in many situations in America; this has caused demonstrations and BLM campaigns in recent years. The BLM (Black Lives Matter) included black and white protests seeking revenge against George Floyd, a black man assassinated by officers (Capelli, 2020). The campaign began, and creamy colours stayed tinted on the highways, and all the leaders of the world supported the United States to uphold justice and human rights. As consensus develops around the presence of systemic racism in the U.S. police forces and other facets of American life, advocates of the Black Lives Matter movement are trying to extend their influence beyond the popularization of a word. Activists feel a chance once in a lifetime to pursue systemic changes that once felt far-reaching, including strong increases in police funding for social care and more insight for cops murdering people.
(1-2 pages more of literature review needed, that would help you build your operational definitions)
Theoretical Model and Framework
The Theoretical Model and Framework that is being used is called the Ferguson effect that refers to the increase in violent crime rates in a community caused by reduced proactive policing due to the community’s distrust and hostility towards police (Lind, Dara. 2016). The Ferguson effect that has received the most attention is the notion that officers are pulling back on enforcement and proactive policing, fueling a crime increase (Maciag, 2016).
The Ferguson effect indicates that law enforcement officers are mindful of their occupation’s unfavourable media attention, recognizing that the press will record their actions, leaving them unable to do their duty to deter allegations of unnecessary force or ethnic discrimination. Since the murders in the U. S. in the past two decades, there have been indicators of a new wave (Mac Donald, 2015). It’s a contentious idea that police authorities around the United States have been less involved in public security initiatives, particularly in big cities, following the deadly shooting incident of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014. In 2015, murders in most populated areas in America, including Milwaukee, rose (25 per cent), Washington, D.C (54%), Baltimore (63%), Houston (23%), New York City (5%), Philadelphia (12%) and Los Angeles (10%). The increase in crime rates in major U.S. cities has led others to attribute the Ferguson effect. The correlation between rising killings and the Ferguson effect has put neighbourhood interaction and police involvement at the centre of debates on public policies, as in the early 1990s after Rodney King was beaten. (is this part of the literature? What is the theory or the theoretical framework used in the study)
Methodological Approach
The methodological approach that were used to conduct this research is the Quantitative research method that will allow us to collect and analyze existing data and survey questions that would be asked from the students about their perceptions of police brutality. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey were made using survey monkey and then distributed via Blackboard which were available to all students in the criminal justice field where their information are kept confidential.
The study involved 102 participants who were provided with 28 questions. The questionnaire only required ten to fifteen minutes to complete. The questions were designed to find out different student’s opinions about police brutality in Canada. Likert scale was the methodological instrument used to measure how various people felt about police brutality. The SPSS program was used by informative statistics and exploratory data collection, presented as a result of statistical analysis. (provide information about the survey and the scale used in the study, this is your opportunity to explain the scale and how it was structured)
Analysis of study results
The survey included basic questions like respondents’ gender, age, where they live, and whether they are familiar with police brutality. It also collected information about the respondent’s racial background, White or Caucasian, black or African, Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Asian American, and many more. The survey also included questions such as if the respondents believe there is the existence of police brutality in Canada, how often the respondents see police in their neighborhood, the level at which they trust the police on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest and one being the least. It also involved how people feel when interacting with the police, whether the police have ever stopped the respondents. The general sample size was 50 males, 51 females, and one other (this should be in the methodology section)
Answering the hypothesis
Testing hypothesis 1 Canadian police are held responsible for their misconduct against minority groups., (paraphrase your hypothesis such as “students are more likely to believe that Canadian police————-” and also provide some description for the major variables first and then answer the hypotheses. such as age, the overall perception, division of the sample based on ethnicity.) respondents were asked their level of agreement on whether police are held accountable for their actions against minority groups (question 21). A hundred and one study participants responded to the question, and 7.92% strongly agreed, 28.71% agreed, 25.74% neither agreed nor disagreed, 27.72% disagreed, while 9.90% strongly disagreed. The data above 38 participants disagreed while 37 participants agreed while 26 of them neither agreed nor disagreed. It can be concluded that there is a high chance that police are not held responsible for their actions against minority groups. (put a title for your tables)
Testing hypothesis 2 Black people(minority group) are more likely to face police brutality than white people and other minority races. Participants were asked where racism contributes to police brutality and those who strongly agreed and agreed were 80 of the 101 respondents; five disagreed or strongly disagreed (question 20).
Group statistics
On average based on the likert scale testing both hypothesis there is a big difference between those who agree (24.75+33.165 = 57.915) and disagree (15.345 + 5.94 = 21.285) as shown in the figure above.
Descriptive statistics
Conclusion
The research shows that police brutality is a prevailing issue that portrays systematic racism on how black people are treated over whites. Police usually favour the whites and disregard the blacks as fewer worthy individuals in society. Since the study variables are police brutality and its effects on the minority groups, articles engaged in the study elicited the series of oppression and the resulting consequences from these events. The rate of fatalities following shootings on unarmed protectors is alarming. They represent a larger number of deaths, hence showing the effects of such brutalities on black lives. It is also evident that incarcerations of blacks to portray police violence is high; they are usually arrested over petty issues compared to other races. Ideally, the blacks occupy a smaller population of Canada, but the number of fatalities, incarcerations, among other discrimination, is far much higher. Laws must be formulated to restrict the police departments from having racial considerations as they serve the citizens (Cecco, 2020).
References
Alang, S., McAlpine, D., McCreedy, E., & Hardeman, R. (2017). Police brutality and black health: Setting the agenda for public health scholars. American journal of public health, 107(5), 662-665.
Alexander, M. (2011). The new jim crow. Ohio St. J. Crim. L., 9, 7.
https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/osjcl9§ion=5
Angus, J., & Crichlow, V. (2018). A Race and Power Perspective on Police Brutality in America. FAU Undergraduate Research Journal, 7, 8-8.
Blessett, B. (2015). Disenfranchisement: Historical underpinnings and contemporary manifestations. Public Administration Quarterly, 3-50.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24372042
Cappelli, M. L. (2020). Black Lives Matter: The Emotional and Racial Dynamics of the George Floyd Protest Graffiti. Advances in Applied Sociology, 9(10), 323.
https://www.scirp.org/html/1-2290742_102809.htm
Cecco, L. (2020). Canada urged to open its eyes to systemic racism in the wake of police violence. The Guardian. Retrieved November 29th, 2020, from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/14/canada-systemic-racism-history
.
Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505.
Godley, J. (2018). Everyday Discrimination in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 43(2), 111-142.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26633527
Kenny, P. (2020). U.N. condemns police violence against black people. Aa.com.tr. Retrieved November 29th, 2020, from
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/un-condemns-police-violence-against-black-people/1883388
.
Linda, Dara. (, 2016). “The “Ferguson effect” a theory that’s warping the American crime debate explained.
Maciag, M. (2016). Is There Really a Ferguson Effect? Retrieved from:
https://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-ferguson-effect-homicide-rates.html
Marcoux, J., & Nicholson, K. (2018). Deadly force. Newsinteractives.cbc.ca. Retrieved November 29th, 2020, from
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-custom/deadly-force
.
McIntosh, P. (2020). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work. Privilege and prejudice: Twenty years with the invisible knapsack, 7.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4yIGEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=white+privilege&ots=A5dHXwLBaT&sig=APMsY1qsUbxJSKiq5TSfmOz2e9U
Moore, L. N. (2010). Black rage in New Orleans: Police brutality and African American activism from World War II to Hurricane Katrina. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press
Nelson, J. (Ed.). (, 2001). Police brutality: An anthology. WW Norton & Company.
Schwartz, S. (2020). Police brutality and racism in America. EXPLORE, 16(5), 280-282.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2020.06.010
Stelkia, K. (2020). Police Brutality in Canada: A Symptom of Structural Racism and Colonial Violence – Yellowhead Institute. Yellowhead Institute. Retrieved November 29th, 2020, from
Police Brutality in Canada: A Symptom of Structural Racism and Colonial Violence
.
WILLIAMS, C. (2020). Experts: Police brutality, racism pushing Black anxiety. AP NEWS. Retrieved November 29th, 2020, from
https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-race-and-ethnicity-virus-outbreak-police-police-brutality-ea845aacd10bf7babe371ce2ee86a5df
.
Xu, M., Macrynikola, N., Waseem, M., & Miranda, R. (2020). Racial and ethnic differences in bullying: Review and implications for intervention. Aggression and violent behaviour, 50, 101340.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178919300825
Running Head: THESIS
1
F
eedback
fom the professor
–
you need to work more on developing your research question, hypotheses, and operational
definitions.
–
you have added few articles for the literature but adding more will provide credibility to your
project.
–
the result section is unclear.
Senior Level Thesis 2 (CRIM
4504
)
T
opic
–
Student’s perception towards Police Brutality among black People
Running Head: THESIS 1
Feedback fom the professor
-you need to work more on developing your research question, hypotheses, and operational
definitions.
– you have added few articles for the literature but adding more will provide credibility to your
project.
– the result section is unclear.
Senior Level Thesis 2 (CRIM 4504)
Topic- Student’s perception towards Police Brutality among black People
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3.) Document saved as – “Final research paper”
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4.) Document saved as- ”pdf survey results”
· This is needed to find the results/statistics/finding the results etc.
New
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–
I
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1
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or
2
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of literature review
extra for the literature review section
.
–
develop
the
research question,
1 more
hypotheses
(2
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, and operational
definitions
.
–
the othe
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6 pages
would be
mai
nly for the statistics and other additional work.
–
please note that
I
am willing to
deposit more funds in order to get this assignment done
if
extra pages
are needed
, it is worth
50 percent of my final grade
so ple
ase
feel
free to ask as much questions as
needed.
–
References APA format
2.)
D
ocument saved as
–
“
Example of thesis
”
–
T
his is
an example of
a thesis
paper
and the form
at specifically for the statistic
s should
l
ook like
(they are all highlighted)
and
you can also use it for your own use if you are u
nclear of
something.
I
highlighted what
would
be needed for my paper also in yellow
.
–
T
he
most
important part is the statistics, please use
e
xcel and
SPSS
to get this done
.
L
ook
at
the
statistics that is done on the paper and
ensure to
format it that way
. Histogram
s
, indepen
dent
sample tes
t
,
descriptive statistics etc
.
a
re
very important
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New Instructions that are needed for the thesis paper
Hi there I have attached 4 other documents I will explain each of them individually for you below.
1.) Document saved as- “Thesis_assignment_corrections”
– This is the document that was handed in and looked over by the professor where he left his
comments and concerns, this is what you would be adding on to. (delete his comments after)
-There are highlighted areas that are in yellow that needs rewording, deleted or can be substituted
with something else etc. In the red is where he left his comments and what he suggested.
– on the cover page I left the main feedback from the professor, which is similar to what is
mentioned above.
– I would need 1.5 or 2 pages of literature review extra for the literature review section.
– develop the research question, 1 more hypotheses (2 or 3 needed all together), and operational
definitions.
-the other 6 pages would be mainly for the statistics and other additional work.
– please note that I am willing to deposit more funds in order to get this assignment done if extra pages
are needed, it is worth 50 percent of my final grade so please feel free to ask as much questions as
needed.
– References APA format
2.) Document saved as- “Example of thesis”
– This is an example of a thesis paper and the format specifically for the statistics should look like
(they are all highlighted) and you can also use it for your own use if you are unclear of
something. I highlighted what would be needed for my paper also in yellow.
-The most important part is the statistics, please use excel and SPSS to get this done. Look at
the statistics that is done on the paper and ensure to format it that way. Histograms, independent
sample test, descriptive statistics etc. are very important.
N
e
w
I
n
s
t
r
ucti
o
ns
th
a
t
are
need
ed
f
or
the
thesi
s
pape
r
H
i
t
he
re
I
have attached
4
other
document
s I
wi
l
l explain eac
h of them individually for you
below
.
1
.)
D
o
cument
sa
ved as
–
“
T
hes
is_ass
ignment
_corrections
”
– T
h
is
is t
he
document that
wa
s
handed in and
looked o
ver by the professor where he
left hi
s
comments
and
co
n
cerns
,
th
is
is
what
you
would
be
adding on to.
(delete his comments after)
-There
are h
ighlighted
areas tha
t are in yellow
that needs
rewording, deleted or
can be sub
stituted
with something else etc
.
I
n the red is where
he left his comments
and what
he s
uggested
.
–
on the cove
r page
I
left the
mai
n feedback from the professor
, which is similar to what is
mentioned above
.
– I
would need
1
.5
or
2
pages
of literature review
extra for the literature review section
.
–
develop
the
research question,
1 more
hypotheses
(2
or 3 needed all together)
, and operational
definitions
.
–
the othe
r
6 pages
would be mai
nly for the statistics and other additional work.
–
ple
ase
note that
I
am willing to
deposit more funds in order to get this assignment done
if
extra pages
are needed
, it is worth
50 percent of my final grade
so ple
ase
feel
free to ask as much questions as
needed.
–
References APA format
2.)
D
ocument saved as
– “
Example of thesis
”
– T
his is
an example of
a thesis
paper
and the form
at specifically for the statistic
s should
l
ook
like
(they are all highlighted)
and
you can also use it for your own use if you are u
nclear of
something.
I
highlighted what
would
be needed for my paper also in yellow
.
-The
most
important part is the statistics, please use
e
xcel and
SPSS
to get this done
.
L
ook at the
statistics that is done on the paper and
ensure to
format it that way
. Histogram
s
, indepen
dent
sample tes
t,
descriptive statistics etc
. are
very important
.
3.) Document saved as – “Final research paper”
· This is basically the assignment sheet and learning objectives that was sent to everyone.
· I also highlighted what you would be working even though it was mentioned before.
4.) Document saved as- ”pdf survey results”
· This is needed to find the results/statistics/finding the results etc.
New
Instructions
that
are
needed
for the thesis pape
r
H
i
there
I
have attached
4
other
document
s
I
will explain eac
h of them individually for you
below
.
1.)
D
o
cument
sa
ved as
–
“
Thes
is_ass
ignment
_corrections
”
–
T
his is the
document that
wa
s
handed in and
looked o
ver by the professor where he
left hi
s
comments and co
n
cerns
, th
is
is what you would be
adding on to.
(delete his comments after)
–
T
here
are h
ighlighted
areas tha
t are in yellow
that
need
s
rewording, deleted or
can be sub
stituted
with something else etc.
I
n the red is where
he left his comments
and
what
he s
uggested
.
–
on the cove
r page
I
left the main feedback from the professor
, which is similar to what is
mentioned above
.
–
I
would need
1
.5
or
2
pages
of literature review
extra for the literature review section
.
–
develop
the
research question,
1 more
hypotheses
(2
or 3 needed all together)
, and operational
definitions
.
–
the othe
r
6 pages
would be
mai
nly for the statistics and other additional work.
–
please note that
I
am willing to
deposit more funds in order to get this assignment done
if
extra pages
are needed
, it is worth
50 percent of my final grade
so ple
ase
feel
free to ask as much questions as
needed.
–
References APA format
2.)
D
ocument saved as
–
“
Example of thesis
”
–
T
his is
an example of
a thesis
paper
and the form
at specifically for the statistic
s should
l
ook like
(they are all highlighted)
and
you can also use it for your own use if you are u
nclear of
something.
I
highlighted what
would
be needed for my paper also in yellow
.
–
T
he
most
important part is the statistics, please use
e
xcel and
SPSS
to get this done
.
L
ook
at
the
statistics that is done on the paper and
ensure to
format it that way
. Histogram
s
, indepen
dent
sample tes
t
,
descriptive statistics etc
.
a
re
very important
.
New Instructions that are needed for the thesis paper
Hi there I have attached 4 other documents I will explain each of them individually for you below.
1.) Document saved as- “Thesis_assignment_corrections”
– This is the document that was handed in and looked over by the professor where he left his
comments and concerns, this is what you would be adding on to. (delete his comments after)
-There are highlighted areas that are in yellow that needs rewording, deleted or can be substituted
with something else etc. In the red is where he left his comments and what he suggested.
– on the cover page I left the main feedback from the professor, which is similar to what is
mentioned above.
– I would need 1.5 or 2 pages of literature review extra for the literature review section.
– develop the research question, 1 more hypotheses (2 or 3 needed all together), and operational
definitions.
-the other 6 pages would be mainly for the statistics and other additional work.
– please note that I am willing to deposit more funds in order to get this assignment done if extra pages
are needed, it is worth 50 percent of my final grade so please feel free to ask as much questions as
needed.
– References APA format
2.) Document saved as- “Example of thesis”
– This is an example of a thesis paper and the format specifically for the statistics should look like
(they are all highlighted) and you can also use it for your own use if you are unclear of
something. I highlighted what would be needed for my paper also in yellow.
-The most important part is the statistics, please use excel and SPSS to get this done. Look at
the statistics that is done on the paper and ensure to format it that way. Histograms, independent
sample test, descriptive statistics etc. are very important.
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
1 / 2
8
10
0.00% 10
2
0.00% 0
Q1 PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATIONI agree to participate in this study. I
have made this decision based on what I have read in this letter. I have
had the chance to get more information, and I know that I can still email to
ask questions in the future. I know that I have at least two weeks after I
complete the survey to change my mind about participating in the survey.
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes
No
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
2 / 28
49.02% 50
50.00% 51
0.98% 1
Q2 What is your gender?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Male
Female
Other
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Male
Female
Other
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
3 / 28
100.00% 101
Q3 How old are you?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Please state.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Please state.
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
4 / 28
32.35% 3
3
31.37% 32
5.88%
6
13.73% 1
4
0.00% 0
0.00% 0
8.82%
9
7.84% 8
Q4 Which of the category would you identify as?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
White or
Caucasian
Black or
African…
Hispanic or
Latino
Asian or Asian
American
American
Indian or…
Native
Hawaiian or…
Another race
Other please
specify……..
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
White or Caucasian
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Asian or Asian American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Another race
Other please specify
………
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
5 / 28
28.43% 29
16.67% 1
7
1.96% 2
4.90%
5
28.43% 29
19.61% 20
Q5 What area do you live in?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Toronto
Etobicoke
Scarborough
York
Peel
Other please
specify
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Toronto
Etobicoke
Scarborough
York
Peel
Other please specify
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
6 / 28
25.49% 26
45.10% 46
27.45% 28
1.96% 2
0.00% 0
0.00% 0
Q6 How familiar are you with this topic of Police Brutality?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Extremely
familiar
Very familiar
Somewhat
familiar
Not so familiar
Not at all
familiar
Slightly
familiar
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Extremely familiar
Very familiar
Somewhat familiar
Not so familiar
Not at all familiar
Slightly familiar
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
7 / 28
33.33% 34
53.92% 55
9.80%
10
1.96% 2
0.98% 1
Q7 Do you believe police brutality is existent in Canada today?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Strongly agree
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Undecided
Disagree
Strongly disagree
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
8 / 28
16.67% 17
25.49% 26
32.35% 33
21.57% 22
3.92% 4
Q8 How often do you see police in your neighborhood?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
9 / 28
23.53% 24
37.25% 38
28.43% 29
10.78% 11
0.00% 0
Q9 How often are you kept up to date on events of police brutality?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
10 / 28
Q10 On a scale from one to ten, can you please indicate your trust level in
police forces? One being the least trust, and ten being the highest.
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
11 / 28
1.96% 2
3.92% 4
1.96% 2
2.94% 3
11.76% 12
16.67% 17
24.51% 25
19.61% 20
11.76% 12
4.90% 5
TOTAL 102
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
12 / 28
14.71% 15
33.33% 34
41.18% 42
8.82% 9
1.96% 2
Q11 How would you feel interacting with the police?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Very positive
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Very negative
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Very positive
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Very negative
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
13 / 28
54.90% 56
45.10% 46
Q12 Have you ever been stopped by the police before?
Answered: 102 Skipped: 0
TOTAL 102
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes
No
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
14 / 28
Q13 If you answered yes to the above question, what was the reason?
Answered: 62 Skipped: 40
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
15 / 28
53.66% 44
31.71% 26
14.63% 12
Q14 Best describe the police action.
Answered: 82 Skipped: 20
TOTAL 82
Justified
Somewhat
justified
Unjustifies
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Justified
Somewhat justified
Unjustifies
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
16 / 28
5.94% 6
11.88% 12
58.42% 59
23.76% 24
0.00% 0
Q15 Do police officers in Canada abuse their power?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Always
Usually
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
17 / 28
1.98% 2
23.76% 24
36.63% 37
30.69% 31
6.93% 7
Q16 Please state your level of agreement with the following
statement. The Canadian government is doing its best to protect minorities
from police brutality.
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
18 / 28
26.73% 27
73.27% 74
Q17 Have you or anyone you know ever been a victim of police brutality?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes
No
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
19 / 28
21.57% 11
78.43% 40
Q18 If you answered yes to question 18. Was justice achieved on your
behalf?
Answered: 51 Skipped: 51
TOTAL 51
Yes
No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes
No
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
20 / 28
1.98% 2
23.76% 24
51.49% 52
22.77% 23
Q19 Do you think the media reports police brutality incidents effectively
and accurately?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Definitely
Probably
Probably not
Definitely not
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Definitely
Probably
Probably not
Definitely not
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
21 / 28
7.92% 8
28.71% 29
25.74% 26
27.72% 28
9.90% 10
Q20 Please state your level of agreement or disagreement with the
following statement: The Canadian police are held accountable for police
misconduct within minority groups.
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
22 / 28
41.58% 42
37.62% 38
15.84% 16
2.97% 3
1.98% 2
Q21 Would you agree that racism contributes to the problem of police
brutality?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
23 / 28
34.65% 35
39.60% 40
15.84% 16
8.91% 9
0.99% 1
Q22 If you are to witness a police officer using drastic force on an
individual, will you take further actions for this to be known to the public?
For example, testifying in court?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Very likely
Likely
Neither likely
nor unlikely
Unlikely
Very unlikely
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Very likely
Likely
Neither likely nor unlikely
Unlikely
Very unlikely
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
24 / 28
16.83% 17
41.58% 42
28.71% 29
9.90% 10
2.97% 3
Q23 Do you agree that the Canadian police have a code of silence when it
comes to police brutality?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
25 / 28
18.81% 19
36.63% 37
24.75% 25
10.89% 11
8.91% 9
Q24 Do you believe that organizations like Black Lives Matter may help to
slow the curb of police brutality?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Very likely
Likely
Neither likely
nor unlikely
Unlikely
Very unlikely
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Very likely
Likely
Neither likely nor unlikely
Unlikely
Very unlikely
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
26 / 28
19.00% 19
40.00% 40
26.00% 26
15.00% 15
Q25 How likely would you agree that police brutality can be considered a
culture?
Answered: 100 Skipped: 2
TOTAL 100
Definitely
would
Probably would
Probably would
not
Definitely
would not
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Definitely would
Probably would
Probably would not
Definitely would not
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
27 / 28
46 4,636 101
Q26 On a scale of 1- 10, where would you place the Disciplinary system
that keeps the police in check for misconduct?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
Total Respondents: 101
0 10 20 30 40 50
ANSWER CHOICES AVERAGE NUMBER TOTAL NUMBER RESPONSES
POLICE BRUTALITY SURVEY
28 / 28
47.52% 48
32.67% 33
10.89% 11
2.97% 3
1.98% 2
1.98% 2
1.98% 2
Q27 Do you agree that police brutality affects not only the victim but the
whole society?
Answered: 101 Skipped: 1
TOTAL 101
Strongly agree
Agree
Somewhat agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Somewhat
disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Strongly agree
Agree
Somewhat agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Somewhat disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
111]’#a[[[
Janel Shepherd, Toya Kerridge
N00489367
N01140642
Senior Level Thesis 2 (CRIM 4501 OLA)
Student’s attitude towards the use of Battered Woman Syndrome as a criminal defense.
Professor Aqeel Saei
d
Monday, March, 2020
Table of Contents
Abstract (TK)
Introduction (Janel)………………………………………………………………………….
Purpose of the Study (Janel)………………………………………………………………
Hypothesis (Janel)…………………………………………………………………………….
Variables and Operational Definition(Janel)………………………………………….
Theoretical Model (Janel)……………………………………………………………………
Theoretical Framework Contributions (TK)
Review of Literature (TK)
Methodological Approach and Timeline(Janel)…………………………………………..
Analysis of Study Results(Janel)………………………………………………………………..
Discussion (TK)
Answering the Study Hypothesis(Janel)………………………………………………………
Challenges and Ethical Concerns(Janel)………………………………………………………
Limitations and Future Research(Janel)……………………………………………………….
Conclusion (TK)
Abstract
The Supreme Court of Canada in 1990 acknowledged Battered Women Syndrome as a legal
extension of self-defense. This is a feat in legal history as it considers the psychological
impacts battered women experience such as behaviorism or learned helplessness. Thus, it
places victimized women at the forefront without immediate retribution. In modern times,
Battered Women’s Syndrome continues to be used in the court of law, however, it is not
entirely accepted as a means of defense. Humber College students in the Criminal Justice
program and other programs were surveyed. 77% agreed these women should be charged
with homicide in addition to the 67% who agreed women should attempt to leave their
partner before death occurs.
Introductio
n
Battered woman’s syndrome has become an extremely contentious issue when used as a
criminal defence in murder cases. Many have argued that battered women should find
alternate resolutions to settle their disputes, such as reporting the matter to the police or by
simply leaving the relationship. To date, the defence continues to receive mixed reactions
from justice advocates and the general public. As of 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada
(SCC) accepted the Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) as a legitimate expansion of self-
defence in Canadian criminal courts. This defence recognizes the testimony of a woman
accused of murder, attempted murder or aggravated assault. The defence also acknowledges
the psychological factors and cycle of abuse a woman suffers resulting in “her apprehension
of danger and ultimately her apprehension of death during a particular battering episode”
(Regehr& Glancy, 1995). BWS evidence defends a woman’s emotional state and explains
why she believes that there were no alternative solutions to protect herself from the danger
she experienced at the time of the incident. This criminal defence has sparked widespread
debate with opposing conclusions. Some believe that once a life is taken the accused should
be charged with murder, while others believe that the mitigating factors must be considered
especially in cases of BWS.
A recent revision made to sections 34 and 35 of the criminal code simplifies the criminal laws
and legislations governing self-defence and defence of property. The previous legislatures
were criticized as being extremely inconsistent and vague and required more clarity. After
several complaints to the SCC, dating as far back as 1995, legislative changes came a mer
e
17 years later. The new legislation makes a clear distinction between an excuse that
accommodates human frailties and a justification that applies to rightful conduct. The revised
provisions in sections 34 and 35 are consistent with current changes in self-defence especially
as it relates to cases involving battered women. The revised sections ask jurors to determine
reasonableness, prior threats of violence received by the accused, as well as any expert
evidence consistent with battered woman syndrome. Although the issue of expert evidence
can be called into question since the woman may not display symptoms consistent with that
of a battered woman, her present state of mind will need to be validated. Expert evidence may
suggest the possibility for a battered woman to anticipate the beginning of violence before
she is first struck, even if an outsider cannot. If she believes that she was under duress and
needed to defend herself, the jury will need to determine the reasonableness of her claims
(Roach, n.d.)
Traditionally, Self-defence has always been a justification and not an excuse on the premise
that the accused reserve the right to defend themselves and their property against imminent
danger. People who act in proportionate self-defence are viewed as right in defending
themselves and not as people who must be excused for committing a crime under critical
circumstances. Simultaneously, Canadian criminal law is not entirely consistent in this
respect and requires crimes committed under pressure to be proportionate to the harm. The
new legislative provisions in sections 34 and 35 replaced the reference that an accused acting
in self-defence or defence of property is defended with a more generic reference to an
individual not guilty of an offence. Quite often, acts of proportionate self-defence can be
viewed as a justification but the present revisions recognize the difference between
justification and excuse, which can even become distorted in some situations. For instance, in
1990, the Supreme Court disapproved of a case in which appellate courts had held that a
battered woman could not claim self-defence or defence of others after shooting her sleeping
husband. If self-defence was recognized in this case, it would look to some extent like a
reason that obliged human frailties rather than a justification leading to self-defence.
Section 17 of the criminal code recognizes that “a person who commits an offence under
duress or by threats of immediate death or bodily harm from a person who is present when
the offence is committed is excused for committing an offence if the person believes that the
threats will be carried out and if the person is not a party to a conspiracy or association
whereby the person is subject to compulsion” (Justice Law, 2019). While section 34
specifically outlines the defence and factors used in determining the authenticity of a BWS
defence. The defence includes the following three factors:
a) “ they believe on reasonable grounds that force is being used against them or
another person or that a threat of force is being made against them or another person”
b) the act that constitutes the offence is committed for defending or protecting
themselves or the other person from that use or threat of
force; and
c) the act committed is reasonable in the circumstances” (Justice Law, 2019)
The court shall consider the relevant circumstances, the act, and all person(s) involved when
determining guilt and or responsibility of the crime committed. It also considers the following
factors when determining the reasonableness and validity.
a) “ the nature of the force or threat;
b) the extent to which the use of force was imminent and whether there were other
means available to respond to the potential use of force.
c) the person’s role in the incident.
d) whether any party to the incident used or threatened to use a weapon.
e) the size, age, gender and physical capabilities of the parties to the incident.
f) the nature, duration, and history of any relationship between the parties to the
incident, including any prior use or threat of force and the nature of that force or
threat.
g) any history of interaction or communication between the parties to the incident.
h) the nature and proportionality of the person’s response to the use or threat of
force; and
i) whether the act committed was in response to a use or threat of force that the
person knew was lawful” (Justice Law, 2019).
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to understand students’ attitudes on BWS as a
criminal defence under the self-defence category. A second purpose was to understand the
correlation or variance between male and female students, as well as to provide
recommendations for improvement. We aim to determine what impacts the field of study has
on students’ overall attitudes on BWS as a criminal defence. This will be measured by
collecting data from students in justice studies courses and non-justice study courses and
compare the data based on the mean value. The research findings will focus on Students’
overall attitudes towards Battered Women Syndrome as a criminal defence within the
Canadian Justice System. Multiple theories will be used to explain Battered Women’s
Syndrome in sociology and psychology with the primary focus on behavior and feminists’
approaches, the cycle of violence, learned helplessness and powerlessness.
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that men will have a stronger opposition towards BWS as a criminal
defence as well as students with limited knowledge of the criminal justice system. Therefore,
this study tested the following two hypotheses to confirm these ideas:
· There is a probable significant difference between males and females in terms of their
attitudes towards BWS as a criminal defence.
· There is a probable significant difference between justice-related students and non-justice
related student’s perception towards BWS as a criminal defence.
Variables and Operational Definition
The two variables to be tested in this research are Students’ attitudes and BWS as a criminal
defence. For this study, Students’ attitude is defined as a student’s inclination to respond
positively or negatively towards a situation or idea triggered by their emotions, feelings,
opinions or beliefs (Meriam Webster Dictionary, n.d.). BWS as a criminal defence focuses on
student’s opinions towards women who use force to defend themselves against their abusive
partners. This study will be conducted using a survey designed to explore student’s attitudes
towards BWS as a criminal defence. The attitudes are measured using a Likert scale through
a series of questions where students will have the opportunity to answer based on their
feelings, opinions or beliefs regarding the topic. Based on the survey questions, students
scoring between 3-5 will be considered having positive attitudes towards BWS and students
scoring between 1-2 will be considered having negative attitudes.
Theoretical Model/ Framework
Learned Helplessness and the Cycle of Violence were identified as the two main theories that
have received empirical support in the explanation of battered women behaviours. First, the
term learned helplessness often spelt learnt helplessness is a preferable term as it avoids the
implication that helplessness is knowledgeable. The term was originally coined by
Psychologist James Overmier and Martin Seligman and provides a general explanation as to
why many women become psychologically locked in their battered relationship even though
they may want to leave but may feel restricted or conflicted in doing so. Learned helplessness
depicts a psychological disorder that is present when an individual is exposed to repeated
abuse over which she believes she has no control or escape resulting in the “impairment in
motivation and control of future outcome even after the uncontrollable situation disappears”
(Brodsky, 2019).
Learned helplessness was first tested on dogs. The dogs were taught that their behavior did
not affect whether they received electric shocks or not. Likewise, a woman with no control
over her abusive environment experiences behavioural issues and a lack of motivation. The
battered woman may also have children and feel economically dependent on her batterer.
Quite often, the battered woman harbors the fear that leaving the battered relationship may
result in death, harassment or an increase in violence. Statistics Canada reported that the
prevalence of spousal homicide was separation which accounts for more than 50% between
2007 to 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2013).
Second, The Cycle Theory of Violence also known as a tension-reduction theory shows
women who experienced intimate partner violence go through a three-phase cycle of
violence. The three phases associated with the battering cycle are: (a) a “tension-building
accompanied by a rising sense of danger, (b) an acute battering incident and (c) the loving
contrition” (Walker, 2017). The cycle commences after the couple has been dating for a
while. The batterer appears very loving and pays the woman a lot of attention. Some women
reported the attention to turn into stalking and surveillance after a while. But by this time the
woman is already committed and does not have the willpower to leave the relationship.
Some also believe being married will make the man feel less insecure and will have no time
to continue micromanaging their lives. Unfortunately, after marriage or the birth of a child,
the situation only intensifies. The first two phases of the cycle begin followed by the third
phase of loving behavior.
In the first phase, there is a gradual increase in tension and friction such as non-verbal cues
and subtle name-calling. In phase two the tension continues to escalate forcing the woman to
become more fearful and at this stage, she is unable to cope with his angry outbursts. She
then withdraws herself from her batterer in fear that she will unintentionally upset him which
leads him to the third phase where he is apologetic for his behaviour and the cycle continues
all over again. This cycle is a way to throw the battered woman off balance. Living with this
much uncertainty is a way to throw her off balance and cause chaos within the household.
Although not every woman living in battering households kills their partners, a very few do.
According to researchers, they stated that it is difficult to predict which women are most
likely to kill their partners, but offer several common factors in the lives of battered women
who kill: First, they tend to have been battered more often, and to have suffered severe
injuries as a result of a battering episode. Second, they are more likely to have been
threatened with death and weapons, and often live in homes where guns are kept. Lastly, the
women are more likely to have been sexually abused by their abusers; their abusers are likely
to be substance abusers and quite often abuse children living in the battered household.
(Walker, 2017).
Theoretical Framework Contributions
Walker’s learned helplessness theory was founded with a focus on representing psychological
conditions which are established when a woman is exposed to repetitive experiences which
she perceives she cannot escape from and can result in decision-making impairment or lack
of control and incentive towards positive future outcomes even after the undesirable
controllable stimuli disappears (Brodsky, 1987). Research on learned helplessness and trauma
theory was conducted by Palker-Corell and Marcus (2014) on partner abuse to determine the
correlation between attributional style and depressive symptoms related to trauma among
battered women. The study was conducted with a sample size of 101 females, 49 of who
m
were recently admitted to a battered women’s shelter and 51 women from within the
community.
In their findings, they describe the participants as having symptoms resembling those that
were consistent with learned helplessness theory and other research studies connecting
attributional style to trauma symptoms. They also reported that “attributional style
contributed to the prediction of depressive and trauma symptoms,” whereas the women who
were
residing at the battered women’s shelter provided detailed explanations regarding their
negative incidents in a “global, internal and stable manner were more likely to report
depressive and trauma symptoms” compared to the women living within the community
(Parker-Corell& Marcus,
2014).
Behaviorism and Cycle of Violence
John B Watson’s behaviorism theory was founded with a focus on the systematic approach to
gaining knowledge of all types of behavior of both animals or humans. Watson suggested that
learned behavior is either a reaction to an initial action or a combination of specific behaviors
learned through positive or negative reinforcements or a consequence of that individual’s previous
lived history including abuse, discipline, and reinforcement occurring together with an individual’s
current mental state or environmental stimuli. Watson also believed that behaviors were gained
hereditary but relied heavily on environmental stimuli (Weibell, 2011). An example of behaviorism
would be that of Li Eriksson and Paul Mazerolle’s quantitative research with a behaviorism approach
to Inter Partner Violence (IPV) and its impact on studying how and why
“a cycle of attitudes and violence against women correlate with being hereditary” (Eriksson and
Mazerolle, 2014). This study was conducted with a sample size of 327 males who were recently
arrested and release for a series of charges, one being assault (including IPV) the interview
questionnaire included questions about IPV (hitting, pushing or slapped), personal history of
childhood physical abuse or if they were personally a witness to parental violence and to express their
thought on whether or not any abuse against women would be justifiable (Eriksson and Mazerolle,
2014). Utilizing this approach explains why some individuals who are violent towards women are a
product of their environment of previous experiences of exposure to violent behaviors during
childhood which then models an offender’s behavior during adulthood (Eriksson and Mazerolle,
2014).
Learned Helplessness and Powerlessness
Lenore Walker’s learned helplessness theory was founded with a focus on representing
psychological conditions which are established when a woman is exposed to repetitive
experiences which she perceives she has no control or escape from and can result in
decision-making impairment or lack of control and incentive towards positive future
outcomes even after the undesirable controllable stimuli disappears (Brodsky, 1987). An
example of the learned helplessness theory would be that of Ann Palker- Corell and David K
Marcus’s research with “partner abuse, learned helplessness and trauma” (Palker- Corell and
Marcus, 2014). The research objective was to determine if “attributional style is related to
experienced depressive symptoms related to trauma amongst battered women” this study was
conducted with a sample size of 101 females, 49 of whom were recently admitted to a
battered women’s shelter and 51 women from within the community (Palker- Corell and
Marcus, 2014). In their findings Palker- Corell, and Marcus describes the participants as
being “consistent with learned helplessness theory and with other research studies connecting
attributional style to trauma symptoms, they also reported that “attributional style contributed
to the prediction of depressive and trauma symptoms”, whereas the women who were
residing at the battered women’s shelter provided detailed explanations regarding their
negative incidents in a “global, internal and stable manners were more likely to report
depressive and trauma symptoms” compared to the women living within the community
(Palker- Corell and Marcus, 2014).
Feminist Theory Approach
Feminist theory plays a huge role within the field of sociology, the approach includes
movement between “analytic lenses, assumptions and topical focuses away from the
dominant male experiences and viewpoint towards women (Schneider, 1992). An example of
a feminist approach would be that of Author Elizabeth Schneider who in her article titled
“Challenges of Feminist Theory and Practice in Work on Woman- Abuse” states that much
more work needs to be done challenges working with men who batter women (Schneider,
1992). Schneider continues to discuss “nationwide media stories of the many women who
have been murdered by men and the few battered women who have been granted clemency
for killing their abusers” (Schneider, 1992).
In the case of R.v. Malott, a battered woman who murdered her abusive common-law
husband and father of her two children, the judge assigned advised the jury to “respect the
evidence on battered women syndrome and to apply the evidence presented as it relates to
the “law of self-defense” (R. v Mallott, 1998). Utilizing this theory explains why members of
society need to be educated on the Feminist approach to gain knowledge and better
understand the many issues women live with daily including domestic violence, social issues
and trends that would most likely be identified incorrectly or unnoticed by the male
perspectives in society.
Review of Literature
There are numerous studies pertaining to battered women and how they are received in the
criminal justice system. Jury decision making can be taken from various perspectives, one
being the stance of common-sense notions of justice. A question that arises from this
perspective is whether the laws in place for battered women are “consistent with what society
believes is right and just” (Huss, Tomkins, Garbin, Schopp, Kilian, 2006). In their study,
Huss et al. (2006) provided, 98 undergraduate students (36 male and 62 females), 16 actual
case vignettes to categorize according to their similarities and differences. In these
similarities and differences, the participants answered specified questions ranging from legal
culpability, pattern and severity of abuse to level of force. Following this study, it was
suggested that the law does operate under what society deems as “fair” or common-sense
notions of justice (Huss, et al., 2006).
Although this common-sense notion is evident in many cases, there are many incidences
where women are prosecuted with charges such as homicide. In a study to determine whether
battered women should be prosecuted for homicide, 64 first year law students (18 female and
37 male) voluntarily participated by completing a 42-page questionnaire of open-ended
questions. These questions were designed to gather responses to determine the likelihood of
prosecution using either legal or supplementary case related variables. For example, variables
include battered women syndrome being used as a legal defense and history of violence. The
research findings concluded the majority of respondents, 5.79% will utilize battered women
syndrome as a legal defense, whereas 4.95% will prosecute a defendant for a guilty or
innocent plea. In addition, a reported 4.86% will most likely use legal elements such as
unlawful act of murder through criminal acts (Follingstad, Rogers, Welling, Priesmeyer,
2015). Sentiments towards battered women vary where many believe they should not be
solely regarded as victims of violence, but should be responsible for their actions.
A research study was conducted to determine if “battered women’s syndrome” can be used as
a legal defence to declare innocence or if a guilty plea should be considered instead. This data
sample included only female undergrads with a mean age of 20 years, who volunteered to
participate in a study called “Intimate Partner Experiences”. Sessions were conducted in
groups of five to sixty. All participants were given a vignette taken from a real-life criminal
case of a battered woman who killed her abuser (State of Kansas v. Hundley, 1985). Also
assessed were the participant’s personal history of violence and the type of distress they had
experienced. The victim in the case plead not guilty by way of self-defence as a result of her
lived experience of domestic violence including emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The
research findings concluded that of the majority of respondents, 4.22 % participants felt very
empathetic towards the victim, whereas 2.15% disagreed and felt the battered woman was
legally responsible. In addition, 1.85% participants felt moderately different towards the
battered woman (Stein & Miller 2012).
In a study to determine whether reasonableness can be used as a mitigating argument, 14
3
males and 173 females in first-year undergraduate Psychology, voluntarily participated and
were assigned one or more roles as members of a jury in a mock criminal trial. This trial was
designed to determine the perception of battered women syndrome as a legal defense to
grant abused women an acquittal of self-defence. This would be considered if the action of
lethal force was committed during an attack or was the act of self-defence during a hiatus of
violence where, for example, the abuser was asleep. During this mock criminal trial, six
different 90 minute videotapes of a fictitious trial were shown to the jurors (first-year
psychology students). Actual legal transcripts were used from real-life case studies and legal
cases of battered women who were accused of killing their abuser. The instructions given to
the “jurors” were built on the Canadian Criminal Code and demonstrated after Canadian
jury instructions. Also noted were the similarities between the American and Canadian
self-defence laws. Although the Canadian Criminal Code states, “the danger of death or
serious bodily harm does not have to be imminent” but a defendant must hold a
“reasonable apprehension of such harm”. The research findings concluded that the majority
of participants acknowledged the expert’s testimony and the contributing factors of
battered women’s syndrome, but jurors returned after deliberations with a not guilty 12%
and a guilty 48% (Terrance, Matheson, 2003).
Methodological Approach and Timeline
The methodology and research design focused on the steps used in obtaining and gathering
data on student’s attitudes towards the use of Battered woman syndrome as a criminal
defence in Canada. The study involved a primary analysis of survey data. Researchers used a
quantitative research approach in which 151 Humber College students completed a
paper-based questionnaire. The students were divided into two groups based on the courses
they were enrolled in, namely, justice, and non-justice. The justice students are from the
Community and Justice Services and Criminal Justice programs, while the non-justice
students are from the Media Studies, Interior Design, and Business and Commerce programs.
Because the study investigated students’ attitudes towards the battered defence, we employed
the positivist research perspective. The positivist perspective believes that reality is
“objective, tangible and single. Interest is focused on what is general, average and
representative so that statistical generalization and prediction are possible” (Decrop, 1999,
p.157)
The researchers contacted several teachers and were able to meet students during regular
class time. The students were provided with a survey of 10 questions and a consent form. The
consent form advises students of their voluntary participation with the option to withdraw at
any time. The process lasted for approximately 20 minutes. The questionnaire was
specifically tailored to investigate student’s overall attitudes to BWS defence by collecting
data from students and analyzing it for our hypothetical findings. The methodological
instrument the Likert Scale was used to measure students’ attitudes towards criminal defence.
The Likert scale was used to measure students’ attitudes and feelings about the topic. The
scale included three questions that were asked to answer and ideally balanced the responses
the students choose from. The data was coded using random numbers to maintain
confidentiality based on the date the surveys were conducted. The information was then
inputted into an Excel worksheet and later transferred to the SPSS software for analysis. The
SPSS program provided an output of statistical analysis and provided us with visuals to
present our findings through descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis.
Analysis of Study Results
The survey asked basic demographic questions such as participant’s age, sex, and education
(area of study). More specifically, the survey asked detailed questions such as participant’s
belief in the use of BWS as a criminal defence, their agreement or disagreement with the
leniency of the justice system, their belief on preferable treatment between males and
females, and the overall impact the study may have had on them individually. The overall
sample size (N=151) of college students surveyed 93 females and 46 males and the remaining
12 participants did not identify their gender as depicted in Fig 1. The mean age for this
demographic is (M = 22.52) on a scale of 1-4.
Discussion
The research hypothesis suggested males would have a higher opposition towards Battered
Women’s Syndrome as a legal criminal defense versus females. Similarly, non-Criminal
Justice students would respond with a probable significance of indifference versus Criminal
Justice students who would be in agreeance of Battered Women’s Syndrome as a legal
criminal defense. Thus, the 151 student participants were provided with a paper-based
questionnaire. They voluntarily agreed to respond to questions that would assist in collecting
data to determine their attitudes towards Battered Women’s Syndrome as a legal defense. As
hypothesized, the results from the questionnaire did support the initial claim of students who
are not in the Criminal Justice program disagreeing with considering Battered Women’s
Syndrome as a legal defense. On the other hand, once again, those who are in the Criminal
Justice program did view Battered Women’s Syndrome as a legitimate argument.
In order to correctly prepare non-Criminal Justice students, they were provided the definition
of “Battered Women’s Syndrome” at the beginning of the questionnaire. This provided an
even level of understanding to ensure participants considered and understood contributing
factors to women living with abuse. In this research, there was no attempt to frame, influence
or manipulate the questions to gain favor in achieving the hypothesis. Although this study has
determined that those who responded would use “battered women’s syndrome” as
self-defense, this does not mean the same outcome will be evident in a Canadian criminal
justice courtroom.
The chosen methodology design was purposely used to gather data in a confidential,
cost-effective, easy and simplified manner which guaranteed responses collected were
directly from the participants themselves. With the questionnaire design in mind, it
specifically included questions that allowed the participants to either identify, excuse or
question the possibility of stereotypical ideologies regarding battered women.
It was decided to combine both Criminal Justice and non-Criminal Justice students to achieve
an unbiased response. If the sample of respondents was not created in this way, data could
have been either controlled (knowledge of law) or uncontrolled (little to no knowledge of
law).
To effectively create a foundation for this research, it was necessary to examine multiple case
studies and theoretical frameworks that were peer reviewed and noted. The research reviewed
illustrated the numerous approaches to understanding Battered Women’s Syndrome and why
it should be utilized as self-defense in a criminal court of law.
Although the results from this research study and countless others have determined that
Battered Women’s Syndrome should be considered as a legal defense of self-defense,
additional research is required to determine if it can either negatively or positively influence
the decision in favor of the defense or prosecution team.
Conclusion
Battered Women Syndrome as a criminal defense, specifically the murder of a woman by her
partner, has increased significantly in both Canada and over the world. Any women who
make a Battered Women self-defence plea cannot be guaranteed their declaration will be
accepted or effective. The aim for abused women, who have been charged with murdering
their abuser in an act of self-defense, is to gain exoneration, where the physical attack must
have been occurring at the same time, or with imminence. In uncommon circumstances, the
murder of a partner is generally the last resort in an attempt to save their own life.
A review of the literature shows that most jurors will question the use of Battered Women’s
Syndrome and self-defense. But, corroborating evidence presented by experts can testify that
educating jurors on domestic violence and the long-lasting negative impacts.
Statistics
Question 2
N Valid 151
Missing 0
Gender
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Vali
d
Female 93 61.6 61.6 61.
6
Male 46 30.5 30.5 92.1
Other 5 3.3 3.3 95.4
Prefer not to say 7 4.6 4.6 100.0
Total 151 100.0 100.0
Fig 1.
Participants were divided into two groups based on their area of study. This information is
outlined in Fig.2. Of the 151 participants, 112 or 74 percent are enrolled in justice-study
courses. The remaining 39 or 26 percent of students are enrolled in non-justice courses.
Field of Study
Frequency Percent
Valid Justice Students 112 74.2
Non-Justice Students 39 25.8
Total 151 100.0
Fig. 2
Overall, of the 151 participants, approximately 77 percent agree that women who kill their
abusive partners should be charged with homicide under the Canadian criminal code while
the remaining 23 percent disagreed. Additionally, 67 percent of participants believe that
women exposed to domestic violence should leave the relationship before it ends in death
with the remaining 33 percent believing that the women should remain in the house.
Answering the Study Hypothesis
The two main hypotheses proposed in this study first looked at the significant diffe
rence
between males and females’ attitudes towards the BWS defence, the results show that there is
a significant difference between males and females’ attitudes on the criminal defence. The
results are illustrated in Fig. 3 below.
Group Statistics
Question 2 N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error
Mean
Question 7 0 93 1.75 .996 .103
1 46 1.30 .591 .08
7
Fig. 3
Second, the probable significant difference between justice-related students and non-justice
related student’s perception towards BWS as a criminal defence. There was also a significant
difference in the area of study with the justice related students had higher scores (M=1.64
SD=.948) than non-justice students scoring lower with a (M=1.49SD =. of .756)
Group Statistics
Question 3 N Mean
Std.
Deviation
Std.
Error
Mean
Que
stio
n 7
Justice Students 112 1.64 .948 .090
Non-Justice
Students
39 1.49 .756 .121
Independent Samples Test
Levene’s Test
for Equality
of Variances t-test for Equality of Means
F Sig. t df
Sig.
(2-tail
ed)
M
e
a
n
D
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
Std.
Error
Diffe
rence
95% Confidence
Interval of the
Difference
Lowe
r Upper
Que
stio
n 7
Equal
variances
assumed
3.
1
28
.07
9
.
9
2
7
1
4
9
.355 .1
5
6
.168 -.176 .487
Equal
variances
not
assumed
1
.
0
3
3
8
2.
4
6
7
.304 .1
5
6
.151 -.144 .455
Fig. 4
Also, the results of the Likert scale were used to collect specific data relating to the
elimination of the BWS as a criminal defence. Participants scoring above (M=1.6 SD=.902)
have positive attitudes towards BWS as a criminal defence while Participants scoring below
have negative attitudes depicted in Fig. 5 below.
Descriptive Statistics
N Mean
Std.
Deviation
BWS as a criminal defence
should be eliminated
from
the Canadian criminal
Justice system
151 1.60 .902
Women who kill their
partners should be charged
with homicide
151 1.95 1.142
Men and women charged
with homicide should be
tried on the circumstances
of the case or the crime
151 1.66 .855
Challenges and Ethical Concerns
Since the study asked opinion-based questions and not targeted to students’ actions or history
we anticipate minimal risk from this research. We provided students with consent forms with
each survey and advised students that their participation is completely voluntary with the
option to stop at any time during the survey. Students’ were also offered debriefing
instructions at the end of the survey. They were provided with contact information to call if
they may have been triggered by any questions from the survey as well as post-secondary
helping and counselling services information. The results of the surveys were always in a
sealed envelope and the researchers’ possession from the day of completion. All surveys were
done anonymously and were placed in a labeled envelope which identified the groups as
justice or non-justice related. Some challenges we experienced from this research were:
· A smaller sample size of male participants
· Male participants bias towards a criminal defence in favor of women
· Time limitations (we have a limited amount of time that may affect the
amount of data we collect)
· Student’s unwillingness to participate in the study because of their personal
feelings or beliefs
· A great number of students were just not interested in completing the survey
at all because they considered it a waste of time.
Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
The fact that most of the participants in this study were college students and have adequate
knowledge regarding criminal legal issues due to their presence in the Criminal Law course
suggests that the results may be highly relevant to how decisions to prosecute are made
within the Canadian criminal justice system. Although law students have not yet joined the
workforce as part of the decision-making body, their judgments were made with limited
information about battered women or self-defence cases. Therefore, it is necessary to learn if
legal practice in general, or particular practice with battered women in situations where
self-defense allegations are made, will result in different results than the findings of this
exploratory research. Essentially the answer to the question will be, will more information
and/or expertise have a larger cushion to accept extraneous external variables? A prospective
research review contrasting the standard approach of law students to these cases with that of
prosecutors does not, however, predetermine the possible path or importance if discrepancies
are found because selective expectations could stiffen pre-existing opinions rather than actual
legal knowledge by pushing prosecutors to accept individual merit cases.
While the decision to prosecute battered women in homicide cases varies across the board,
what is unknown is whether law enforcers and grand jury members share similar views
towards battered women and their legal cases. Over the years there has been an increase in
awareness for legal professionals regarding women’s issues, for example, rape cases and
battered women, which if they were exposed to such training could foresee specific responses
to battered women murder cases by grand jury members and likely law enforcement officers.
Potential work needs to use the breadth of these methodologies for these different
decision-makers to assess if lawyers, law enforcement agents, grand jury members, and
judges had common experiences in these cases.
This study will determine whether participants have undergone any training on women’s
issues, whether they have undergone particular training on battered women, and the amount
of training they have gained. Such data will need to be included as covariates in the statistical
evaluation of the decision to prosecute using the types of methodologies used in this report.
Making decisions on the prosecution of battered women is, undeniably, a complicated
process. An important move forward in this future work will be to establish how prosecution
decisions are taken when several factors are involved, and which factors are most predictive
of final decisions. Vignette studies representing complex situations for battered women’s
cases that include various factors in self-defence, guilt/innocence, the background of
battering women, and extraneous additional variables will be useful for determining the most
predictive factors.
Further study relating to the structure of flexible decision-making related to battered women’s
homicide Situations are likely to sensitize and promote greater responsibility for awareness of
the effects on certain decisions regarding the complexities of decision taking in such
situations. Indeed, if research on women’s issues had an effect on the actions made by
prosecutors in the case of battered women’s homicide, this result would have consequences
for the development and assessment of such training programs. Defense lawyers will need to
be mindful of research findings of this sort in order to pre-empt decision-making that could
result from discrimination against battered women. This line of work can also promote the
review of further disciplinary actions in the criminal justice system beyond that Such specific
cases highlight this discretionary mechanism and can have an impact.
Conclusion
Battered Women Syndrome as a criminal defense, specifically the murder of a woman by her
partner, has increased significantly in both Canada and over the world. Any women who
make a Battered Women self-defence plea cannot be guaranteed their declaration will be
accepted or effective. The aim for abused women, who have been charged with murdering
their abuser in an act of self-defense, is to gain exoneration, where the physical attack must
have been occurring at the same time, or with imminence. In uncommon circumstances, the
murder of a partner is generally the last resort in an attempt to save their own life.
A review of the literature shows that most jurors will question the use of Battered Women’s
Syndrome and self-defense. But, corroborating evidence presented by experts can testify that
educating jurors on domestic violence and the long-lasting negative impacts.
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