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Lenore E. Walker

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Lenore E. Walker
Born
Lenore Edna Walker

(1942-10-03) October 3, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationPsychologist
Notable workThe Battered Woman
Websitedrlenoreewalker.com

Lenore Edna Walker is an American psychologist who founded the Domestic Violence Institute, documented the cycle of abuse and wrote The Battered Woman, published in 1979, for which she won the Distinguished Media Award that year. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1987.

Biography

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Lenore Edna Walker was born in New York City on October 3, 1942.[1] She lived and worked in Denver, Colorado, where she was a licensed psychologist, was a leader in the field of domestic violence, and was president and chief executive officer of Walker & Associates. To research family violence, Walker founded the Domestic Violence Institute.[2]

She has testified as an expert witness in trials involving domestic abuse and had developed domestic violence training programs and drafted legislative reform.[2] Walker interviewed 1,500 women who had been subject to domestic violence and found that there was a similar pattern of abuse, called the "cycle of abuse".[3] She wrote the book The Battered Woman for which she won the Distinguished Media Award the same year.[2]

In 1995, Walker offered to testify for O. J. Simpson during his trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Since evidence of Simpson physically abusing Brown in the past had already been shown by the prosecution, to the point that he had once been arrested and pleaded no contest for spousal abuse, Walker's colleagues accused her of betraying her advocacy for financial gain.[4][5] The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence wrote of Walker's assessment of Simpson, "[it] is absolutely the opposite of the assessment of most battered women's advocates in this country."[6] During the subsequent civil trial, Walker testified against him instead and testified for the Goldmans.[7]

Published works

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  • The Battered Woman, 1979[2]
  • Getting it All Women in the Eighties, Women and Mental Health[2]
  • The Battered Woman Syndrome[2]

References

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  1. ^ Agnes N. O'Connell; Nancy Felipe Russo. Women in Psychology: A Bio-bibliographic Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group; January 1, 1990. ISBN 978-0-313-26091-9. p. 396.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lenore Walker, EdD. Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  3. ^ Bonnie S. Fisher; Steven P. Lab. Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. SAGE Publications; February 2, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4129-6047-2. p. 257.
  4. ^ Jones, Tamara (February 4, 1995). "THE WITNESS'S STARTLING STAND". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "Abuse Expert Stirs Uproar With Simpson Defense Role : Trial: Psychologist Lenore Walker says she is testifying to bar either side from distorting data on battered women". Los Angeles Times. January 29, 1995. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  6. ^ Darden, Christopher (March 18, 2016). In Contempt. Graymalkin Media. ISBN 9781631680731.
  7. ^ "Jack Walraven's Simpson Trial Transcripts – DECEMBER 5, 1996". simpson.walraven.org. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
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