Policy Brief: Public Perceptions on Self-Defence suggest it must be made more accessible to domestic abuse victims

<p dir="ltr"><b>About:</b></p><p dir="ltr">This policy briefing is the result of an exploratory study on public perceptions about when self-defence would and should be available.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Method and purpose</b>:</p><p dir="ltr">Using focus groups involving 19 members of the public, the study explored what the public know about self-defence claims in criminal law and what opinions they have about when it should and should not be available, both in general and in domestic abuse cases.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Additional information:</b></p><p dir="ltr">Information regarding the pilot study and including the 8 scenarios put to members of the public is available in Bettinson, V., Crofts, T., and Wake, N., "Preparing a Public Perception Study in the use of Violent Resistance as Self-Defence in Domestic Abuse Cases" in Bettinson, V., Burton, M., Richardson, K., and Speed, A., (eds) <i>Research Handbook on Domestic Violence </i>(Edward Elgar, 2024): <a href="https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035300648.00028" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035300648.00028</a></p><p dir="ltr">Additional information regarding self-defence is available in Bettinson, V. and Wake, N. (2024), A New Self-Defence Framework for Domestic Abuse Survivors Who Use Violent Resistance in Response. Mod Law Rev., 87: 141-171. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12837" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12837</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>