The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case

This article recounts the campaign for justice for Helen Naslund, a Canadian woman who lived in rural Alberta when she killed her abusive husband Miles in 2011 as he slept. Rather than go to trial on self-defence, on the advice of counsel Helen pled guilty to manslaughter and then, consequent to a j...

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Main Authors: Elizabeth Sheehy, Kim Pate, Helen Naslund, Matthew Behrens, Mona Duckett, Jana G. Pruden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Queensland University of Technology 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3479
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author Elizabeth Sheehy
Kim Pate
Helen Naslund
Matthew Behrens
Mona Duckett
Jana G. Pruden
author_facet Elizabeth Sheehy
Kim Pate
Helen Naslund
Matthew Behrens
Mona Duckett
Jana G. Pruden
author_sort Elizabeth Sheehy
collection DOAJ
description This article recounts the campaign for justice for Helen Naslund, a Canadian woman who lived in rural Alberta when she killed her abusive husband Miles in 2011 as he slept. Rather than go to trial on self-defence, on the advice of counsel Helen pled guilty to manslaughter and then, consequent to a joint submission on sentencing made with the Crown, she was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2020, the longest sentence on record for such a woman in Canada. The contributors to Helen’s journey, including Helen herself, a Senator, an academic, an activist, a lawyer and a journalist, all describe the roles they played in supporting Helen’s successful appeal against sentence in 2022 and her release from prison in 2023.
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series International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
spelling doaj-art-c59c8a6875ec4bf28aa7ab3249d00b5c2024-12-03T22:30:31ZengQueensland University of TechnologyInternational Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy2202-79982202-80052024-12-01134142710.5204/ijcjsd.34793802The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s CaseElizabeth Sheehy0Kim Pate1Helen NaslundMatthew Behrens2Mona Duckett3Jana G. Pruden4University of OttawaIndependent Senator in the Senate of CanadaWomen Who Choose to LiveKing’s Counsel, AlbertaThe Globe and MailThis article recounts the campaign for justice for Helen Naslund, a Canadian woman who lived in rural Alberta when she killed her abusive husband Miles in 2011 as he slept. Rather than go to trial on self-defence, on the advice of counsel Helen pled guilty to manslaughter and then, consequent to a joint submission on sentencing made with the Crown, she was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2020, the longest sentence on record for such a woman in Canada. The contributors to Helen’s journey, including Helen herself, a Senator, an academic, an activist, a lawyer and a journalist, all describe the roles they played in supporting Helen’s successful appeal against sentence in 2022 and her release from prison in 2023.https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3479women who killabused womenself-defencefeminist campaigns
spellingShingle Elizabeth Sheehy
Kim Pate
Helen Naslund
Matthew Behrens
Mona Duckett
Jana G. Pruden
The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
women who kill
abused women
self-defence
feminist campaigns
title The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
title_full The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
title_fullStr The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
title_full_unstemmed The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
title_short The Struggle for Justice for Battered Women: Still a Colossal Work in Progress, as Exemplified by Helen Naslund’s Case
title_sort struggle for justice for battered women still a colossal work in progress as exemplified by helen naslund s case
topic women who kill
abused women
self-defence
feminist campaigns
url https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3479
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