When Battered Woman Syndrome has been used as a self-defense appeal, especially in murder cases, it has been carefully scrutinized. According to recent research, the characteristics associated with the syndrome constitute a standard used by jurors to judge battered women. This study would evaluate how a defendant's characteristics would influence a juror's legal decision-making process in the case of a woman pleading not guilty in terms of self-defense who suffered from battered woman syndrome. Discussing the role of battered women In relation to how victim characteristics influence legal decision making, it is important to define what battered women syndrome is. Battered women's syndrome is the collection of physical and psychological injuries exhibited by women who have been repeatedly beaten or otherwise abused by their partners or spouses (Dutton & Painter, 1993). More specifically, women feel helpless or out of control and do not leave their abusive partner. According to Russell, Ragatz, and Kraus (2012) Lenore Walker (1984) theorized that battered women experience a three-stage cycle of abuse through learned helplessness: 1) tension building to abuse, 2) acute beatings, and increased abuse, and 3) remorse for the violence shown by the abuser towards the victim. She argued that battered women believe that the abuse they experience is their fault, and as a result, they stay in the relationship. Learned helplessness can be applied to help explain why a woman would remain in an abusive relationship or to explain the sense of “psychological paralysis” (Schuller & Rzepa, 2002). This is due to the repetitive and unpredictable nature of violence, the women are reduced to a state of continuous fear, leave...... half of the paper ...... of the abused person syndrome, the gender of the accused and sexuality orientation in the event of coercion: evaluate the decision legal. Journal of Family Violence, 27, 659-670Russell, BL, & Melillo, LS (2006). Attitudes toward battered women who kill: Defendant typicality and judgments of guilt. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 219-241Schuller, R. A., Wells, E., Rzepa, S., & Klippenstine, M. A. (2004). Rethinking the evidence of battered woman syndrome: The impact of alternative forms of expert testimony on mock juror deliberation , 36, 127-136. Schuller, R. A., & Rzepa, S. (2002). Expert testimony regarding battered woman syndrome: Its impact on juror decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 26, 655-673. Schuller, R. A., & Vidmar, N. (1992). Evidence of battered woman syndrome in the classroom. Law and human behavior, 16, 273-291.