100 Years of the Infanticide ACT: Legacy, Impact and Future Directions (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781509961689)

This book provides the first comprehensive and detailed analysis of the Infanticide Act and its impact in England and Wales and around the world.

It is 100 years since an Infanticide Act was first passed in England and Wales. The statute, re-enacted in 1938, allows for leniency to be given to women who kill their infants within the first year of life. This legislation is unique and controversial: it creates a specific offence and defence that is available only to women who kill their biological infants. Men and other carers are not able to avail of the special mitigation provided by the Act, nor are women who kill older children.

The collection brings together leading experts in the field to offer important insights into the history of the law, how it works today, the impact and legacy of the statute and potential futures of infanticide laws around the world.

Contributors consider the Act in practice in England and Wales, the ways it has been portrayed in the British media and justifications for and criticisms of the provision of special treatment for women who kill their infants within a year of birth.

It also looks at the criminal justice responses to infanticide in other jurisdictions, such as Australia, Ireland, Sweden and the United States of America.

Author: Karen Brennan
ISBN-10: 1509961682
ISBN-13: 9781509961689
Publisher: Hart Publishing
Language: English
Published: 05/29/2025
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.63d