The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Whitney Kauffeld.
DIGEST
SB 251 Original 2022 Regular Session Barrow
Proposed law provides that an expert may testify, after being qualified by the court under present
law, in the form of an opinion on whether the defendant is a victim of intimate partner violence,
domestic violence, or sexual violence and committed the offense at issue as a direct result of being
a victim.
Present law provides that the fact that an offender's conduct is justifiable, although otherwise
criminal, constitutes a defense to prosecution for any crime based on that conduct, and provides a
list of specific justifications.
Proposed law retains present law and adds that justification exists for the commission of the offense
as a result of the offender being coerced or under duress by a perpetrator of intimate partner violence,
domestic violence, or sexual violence.
Effective August 1, 2022.
(Adds C.E. Art. 707 and R.S. 14:18(8))