ABSTRACT
The idea of a woman as a "responsible self' affects the way domestic violence as a phenomenon is understood. Furthermore, the idea presents itself in cases in which a battered woman has killed her batterer, By looking at the justice system, in general, and by comparing the Anglo-American system and the Finnish system, one can conclude that there are some common features when it comes to women and the justice system. These common features can be described as exclusion and silence.
