What is "Self-Defense?"

Most people have some kind of idea about what the term "self-defense" means. It's the basic notion that they have a right to protect themselves. If someone comes up to you on the street and raises their hand to slap you, common sense tells you that you have the right to defend yourself. You don't have to stand still and get slapped. Everyone knows this.

But when it comes to analyzing things from a legal perspective, things get more complex. Self-defense is one of the principles of exculpation in the criminal justice system, in other words, a legal defense used to defend against criminal charges brought by the prosecutor. While the general idea of self-defense is easy enough to grasp, it can become more complicated because things can differ from one state to another in terms of permissible conduct for a given set of circumstances. In a most general sense, someone who is not at fault may use reasonable force to protect themselves from unlawful force. There is usually not a duty to retreat if the force used is non-deadly.

Things become more complex when the defendant raises the defense in the face of deadly force. There, the court will examine whether the person was without fault and confronted with the threat of serious bodily harm or death. In the news, the issue of self-defense was placed on headlines across the nation in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Rittenhouse is on trial for killing two people and injuring a third during demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He faces two felony charges of homicide and one felony charge of attempted homicide. His defense team argues that his actions amounted to self-defense. As the prosecution and defense argue their points, it's ultimately going to come down to what jurors believe. Good luck - Kendinize Iyi Bakin, Timur Akpinar, (718) 224-9824, <a href='mailto:[email protected],'>[email protected],</a> www.benimavukatim.com