Last night I watched an episode of Law & Order: SVU in which a prostitute purposefully sought out violent clients, waited for them to assault her, and then killed them. She subsequently stole their credits cards and so forth, confounding the situation, but absent that and other complicating factors (such as the illegality of prostitution) should her conduct have been punishable by law? Assuming she didn't instigate the violence but only sought out men she thought were likely to be violent, can she legitimately claim self-defense when she kills a violent man to protect herself?
