Whittle Marion, Hall Guy
School of Law, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
Psychiatr Psychol Law. 2018 Jul 16;25(6):922-943. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2018.1482571. eCollection 2018.
The aim of this study was to analyse judges' sentencing remarks in cases of intimate partner homicide. Grounded theory methodology was used to undertake a qualitative analysis of the remarks, and the emanating data identified four key themes, as discussed in this article. These themes are: the sentencing of Aboriginal offenders; offender violence; the use of alcohol and/or drugs; and provocation. Broadly speaking, the data reflect that judges' sentencing remarks echo themes of offenders' denial of responsibility, thereby minimising harm and justifying violence against females. Also, judges fail to attribute a sufficient degree of responsibility to offenders for their voluntary consumption of alcohol or drugs and their subsequent violent behaviour. The study also found that, as a defence, provocation continues to favour males as the main beneficiaries. The study provides quantitative data which show that Aboriginal males are sanctioned less harshly than non-Aboriginal males.
本研究的目的是分析法官在亲密伴侣杀人案件中的量刑陈述。采用扎根理论方法对这些陈述进行定性分析，如本文所讨论的，由此产生的数据确定了四个关键主题。这些主题是：原住民罪犯的量刑；罪犯的暴力行为；酒精和/或毒品的使用；以及挑衅。总体而言，数据反映出法官的量刑陈述呼应了罪犯否认责任的主题，从而将伤害最小化，并为针对女性的暴力行为辩护。此外，法官没有充分认定罪犯对其自愿饮酒或吸毒及其随后的暴力行为负有足够的责任。该研究还发现，作为一种辩护手段，挑衅仍然使男性成为主要受益者。该研究提供的定量数据表明，原住民男性受到的制裁比非原住民男性更为宽松。
