That Crime Of The Month

Criminal

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, True Crime

4.7 • 39.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2014

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does it mean when a woman commits a crime and attributes her actions to PMS? We revisit the first use of the "PMS defense" in this country, back in 1981. What have we learned about the science of PMS since then? Last year, the American Psychiatric Association classified a form of PMS (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD) as a mental disorder in the DSM-V. How can the scientific community study severe premenstrual symptoms without perpetuating the utterly unscientific idea that menstruating women aren’t mentally competent or liable for crimes they commit? We talk to lawyer Stephanie Benson who used PMS as a defense for her client Shirley Santos after Santos was charged with assault and endangering her children. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this show comes from Krakan.
0:03.0	Krypto is like the financial system, but different.
0:07.0	It doesn't care where you come from, what you look like, your credit score,
0:11.0	or your outrageous food delivery habits.
0:13.7	crypto is finance for everyone everywhere all the time.
0:18.4	Krakhan, see what crypto can be.
0:21.3	Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest.
0:25.0	This is a high risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.
0:31.0	The Samsung Galaxy Buds Effie the perfect partner for your smartphone.
0:35.8	Stay immersed thanks to active noise cancellation with AI technology that filters out
0:41.2	unwanted background noise.
0:42.8	Listen to your audio in comfort hour after hour with the new wingtip design
0:47.6	and easy touch controls that make changing settings a breeze.
0:51.6	That's a lot to love, just 99 pounds RRP, the new Galaxy Bud Zefi, by now at Samsung.com.
0:59.2	She kept saying three things. I didn't mean to hurt my child. I don't remember what happened. I just got my period
1:08.6	About 30 years ago something started happening in courtrooms that caught the world by surprise.
1:14.0	Lawyers began to attribute criminal behavior to PMS or pre-minster syndrome.
1:19.0	The first time was in England.
1:21.0	A woman named Sandy Smith was found guilty of murdering her
1:24.4	co-worker, but her lawyer argued she was suffering from PMS and the judge gave her
1:29.6	probation for murder. Then shortly after the PMS defense was tried out in the US in a case
1:36.3	that pits scientists against feminists against lawyers. I'm Phoebe Judge, this is
	...

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