Case report, 1992
Can premenstrual tension affect a court sentence?
In this court case, a woman's sentence for traffic offences was reduced because she had premenstrual tension at the time. The court agreed the original 6-month disqualification from driving was not necessary or appropriate.
What they did
A woman pleaded guilty to road traffic offences and was sentenced to 6 months without a driving licence. She appealed this sentence, saying she had premenstrual tension when she committed the offences.
What they found
The appeal court allowed her appeal. The judges agreed that the 6-month disqualification was neither necessary nor appropriate because of her premenstrual tension.
What it means for you
This is a legal case showing that one court accepted premenstrual tension as a reason to reduce a sentence. This is not a medical study, so we don't know how often courts consider premenstrual symptoms or what impact this has on sentencing.
6 months
Original sentence length
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual tension as mitigation in a criminal case
- Authors
- Shiels RS
- Journal
- Journal - Forensic Science Society
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0015-7368(92)73077-1
Topics
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