in addition, female defendants are viewed differently, as it is believed within some societies that women who conform are pure wives, mothers and respectful daughters who benefit society. Therefore, if they commit a crime, they will be categorized as 'mad,' not 'bad'. Non-conforming women may be those who engage in activities associated with men, or those who are likely to commit crimes. These women, as Bottoms(1996) stated, are doubly damned and doubly deviant. Furthermore, it has been argued that while and black females occupy different rungs on the social hierarchy. Nooruddin(2006) stated that white women in the USA are generally considered more valuable than black women, and they are accorded a different set fo values and roles than are black women. within some societies, white women have been considered as 'gentle creatures' in need of protection, white black women have been characterized as lazy, promiscuous, and irresponsible. As a consequence, white and black females are treated differently by their society and within the legal system. For example, white women who 'protect themselves ' from violent attackers will be treated with leniency, while black females "are morc likely to be blamed for gettine into such a situation and for 'bringing it' on themselves." Based on these perceptions, it is likely that white women who kill their batterers will be treated less severely than black ones if they have done the same.