I Am Not Your Victim as an Autobiographical Treatise Presented by Beth Sipe - Book Report/Review Example

Book Report  Introduction       The book I am Not Your Victim is an autobiographical treatise presented by Beth Sipe in giving a statement of defense against severe domestic violence to her attorney, William Smith. The book starts by giving a brief introduction on the environment in which the author had been brought up. It further throws light on the feelings of affinity between Beth Nunnery and Steven Sipe, which later culminated, to love and marriage. It is in this context that the author narrates the inception of verbal torture through threats, which later on grew physical. The author shows how Steven (Sam) used his masculine power to curb legitimate rights of his wife, brutally abused and threatened her and even snatched the children from her. It further moves on to cite how the influences caused by military, medical and criminal justice institutions, battered women and of her family and peers changed her way in dealing with such violence. (Sipe & Hall, 1996, pp. 3-278) This paper on the Book Report of Beth Sipe’s book first makes presents a discussion on the said context. It further moves on to give an analysis on Case Management done on the concerned topic. Personal recommendations also form an integral part of the paper as to one’s way of dealing with such victims of domestic violence. In total the paper aims to present a review of Beth’s story by conducting a critical analysis on it.  Beth’s Option and Response to Violence       Beth Sipe’s story on domestic violence reflects the potential of domestic violence to which a woman is made subject to by her camouflaging spouse. The word camouflaging is used in the sense that Steven Sipe became an unknown man after marriage to Beth. Further, even after an event of threat Steven used to change himself radically to become a loving and caring person. The extent of the violence caused severe damages on Beth’s personality and health. In her autobiography Beth comments that the sixteen years of spousal violence had robbed her from physical, economical, emotional and social strength making her an object of fear and threat. (Sipe & Hall, 1996).It is in this context the paper tries to draw an attention of how Beth’s change in response to such acts of violence in her association with military, medical and criminal justice institutions, battered women, the legal and social system. Military       Steven Sipe was an air-force officer stationed at Blytheville in Arkansas. Thus Beth Sipe considered of visiting the legal office of the air force in order to collect the records. Beth had a talk to the Lieutenant who in order asked about whether she had a talk to Steven’s superior in the Air Force. To this end Beth spoke about her conversation to the Steven’s superior which had yielded no result.  Then the lieutenant sent Beth to the medical records in order to get hold of the files. However, the medical records department again sent back Beth to the legal office. It so happened that Beth had to move to and fro from the medical to the legal office, which made her totally annoyed about the system, and she decided to leave. However, in a later period it is found that the legal office made the payment of the backlog due to Steven to Beth, which made her able to repay the debts. (Sipe & Hall, 1996, p.130) Medical       The medical system in Beth’s case also presents signs of huge lacunae in cases of physical and sexual torture to which her husband had subjected her. In her biography Beth had stated that her emotional torture to a considerable extent surpassed the physical violence on her. Beth had been subjected to such emotional pressures that she started suffering from acute depression. She had to take resort of consulting a psychiatrist after separating from Steven. However, the psychiatrist did not contribute to any significant intervention to the problem, which in turn helped in the escalation of the effect of the spousal abuse. Even, Beth’s children who showed symptoms of being nervous in school and home were also not taken proper care off. In cases where the children come across events where their mothers are being subjected to torture by their fathers they become panicky and nervous. Further, it was found that the surgery on Beth’s nose had been done without citing a proper and appropriate enquiry as to the reasons behind the separation of the cartilage from the bone. It can be further found that a surgeon who had no idea of the amount of physical torture done on that area which had been previously operated did Beth’s breast surgery. Keeping in tune to Beth’s experience about the medical support given to her it can be stated that the doctors and surgeons involved fail to observe the signs of molestation and physical abuse. It is for such reason that of late an understanding of the signs of abuse and torture had been incorporated in the medical curriculum. (Sipe & Hall, 1996, pp.271-272).   Criminal Justice Institutions       Beth Sipe had been convicted of murdering her husband and was sentenced to life imprisonment. It was stated that Beth had shot her husband in the head while he was sleeping in his bed. Beth was an affectionate lover of Steven and always wanted him to become a loving father and a caring husband. Steven on the other hand made a good public image of himself, which rather acted as a protection to his wife’s complaint about torture and threats.  The legal system also accused Beth of child abusing. A petition was filed by the Juvenile Court, which asked Beth to handover her two children James and Daniel over to the court. The petition filed by the Juvenile Court even alleged Beth of threatening to kill not only her children but also a neighbor. However, the hearing conducted in the Juvenile Court helped Beth to get relief from the charges of threatening to murder her children. It was rather stated that Beth due to the emotional and physical torment had lost her imbalance for which she had been on medical supervision. So it resulted in a partition between Beth and her two sons. She could have been released on bail if not the District Attorney had made the petition of rather revoking it. The revoking of the bail was done on again two grounds. The first is the threat to kill the children and the second lies in the threat to kill the neighbor, the Joneses. It was observed that the first was an addition to the case framed by the Juvenile Court. The second as Beth observes was a “bald-faced lie”. Later on again the Juvenile Court had transferred the case to Child Protective Services for further actions. The day of March 29, 1989 was a day of victory to Beth Sipe. It took about a year’s time for the District Court to rightly consider Beth’s case and grant her freedom from the cases framed. Beth had won a second victory in the legal sphere in getting the right to own the land, which had been jointly purchased by Steven and her. (Sipe & Hall, 1996, pp. 193-195, 222).         Family and Culture         Beth is observed to have grown up in a protective environment comprising of her father, mother, three sisters and a brother. She states that though her parents were strict and maintained discipline in the house yet they were never observed to abuse their children. Beth remembers that though her father was a drunker he had quit it after the birth of his son. She further grimaces that she was considered a tomboy in following her father keenly. Beth’s affinity for Steven was not liked by either her mother nor by her sister but no one ever had restrained her from meeting Stevens. When, Beth complained about Stevens to her parents they said that it was her decision to marry him and thus needs to obey his orders. The society reacted in a strange way to Beth. There was no amount of legal protection that was granted to her and to her children. On the contrary Beth was charged wrongly of threatening to murder her children and also of her neighbor. Even when she was receiving calls from another lady regarding the murder of her husband she did not receive any protection even if demanded for. Her children were estranged from her and kept in homes for events, which she had not committed. To this end it can be stated that Beth’s case was an exponent of the amount of maltreatment to which a battered woman with a murder case owing to self-defense can be put into by the society. (Sipe & Hall, 1996. pp. 4, 10,195, 220) Battered Women       In cases of battered women it is mostly seen that they divorce and stay apart from their husbands. However, in Beth’s case it is found that she had continued staying with her husband for only the well being of her children. Beth is not quite alone for a survey shows that nearly one-third of the battered women stay along with their husbands for their children’s sake.  Beth while at the hospital came along a battered woman who like Beth was a wife of an air force officer. Her husband had compelled her to take an overdose of medicines. Beth also helped a battered woman in the hospital to get hold of a psychiatrist. In America, 50 percent of the families are observed to have battered wives and children. (Sipe & Hall, 1996, pp.180, 274-275) Implications for Case Management       The Case Management can be defined as a collaboration of different processes consisting of assessment of the problem and planning, providing and advocating options and services to give solutions to the problem. It aims at providing cost effective outcomes through proper modes of communication and through the resources available. Purpose       The case manager can conduct the case management program for acts of domestic violence by providing food and clothing assistance. They can look for advocating solutions through the present social and medical facilities available. They can also opt for giving parental referrals to the children who are the victims of such. In total its main purpose is to provide a secured environment to the victims of domestic violence. Process       The definition of Case Management entails the process of assessing the need to take the program, planning the execution of the program, advocating options for providing solutions through existing resources and better communication modes. Interventions       In this case it is seen that safety planning is needed for Beth. The occurrences of events like Beth receiving calls from unknown callers, threatening calls, firing in the backyard of her house and forced entry into the house makes all the more the need for safety operations. Safety options that can be provided to Beth include citing avenues of escape, or of sheltering and keeping of important telephone numbers at hand.       In conditions like that of Beth where a battered woman has killed her husband things turn worse. Further, when she receives no help from any source as in the case of Beth who did not receive any help for seventeen years becomes all the more complex. Here, the intervention must be made in a non-judgmental manner to install confidence in the victim’s mind. The intervention needs to give the victim the required support to defend the case herself in the court. It needs an atmosphere of continual support and advocacy on the part of the counselor. Intervention in these cases must be maintained at a low cost mechanism. Beth had to sell off some treasured items to help her get a proper counsel. (Sipe & Hall, 1996. pp.227-228, 235) Conclusion       Women, like Beth face great amount of distress owing to domestic violence. They have a continual feeling that their husbands will soon become good people and would care for them and their children. However, a continual increase in the torture provided leads to catastrophes like murder. They even cannot abandon their husbands owing to the child’s sake. Society needs to have a compassionate eye for these women in order to provide them with the most heeded security factor. Judgment needs to be free from bias in understanding the plight of the women. Otherwise it can lead to widespread catastrophe of these women committing suicides or turning fully insane. The children will thus turn into orphans in the cruel society. References 1. Sipe, B. & E. Hall. (1996). I am not your victim: anatomy of domestic violence. SAGE. Read More