NCJ Number
121515
Date Published
1989
Length
342 pages
Annotation
This book details the experiences of abused women who kill their abusers in self-defense and examines how society deals with these women in its mental health facilities, social service systems, and courts. The author's personal experiences as an expert witness on battered woman syndrome in such cases are also recounted.
Abstract
The stories portray women trapped in a cycle of violence pervaded by fear, denial, and suppressed rage, which eventually explodes in the killing of the abuser. The typical battered woman is profiled as having poor self-image and low self-esteem; her feelings of worth are based on her perceived capacity to be a good wife and homemaker, whether or not she also has a successful career outside the home; she behaves in stereotypical, traditional ways to please the batterer, who generally holds rigid and traditional values regarding home and family life. In describing the dynamics of domestic violence, some of the issues discussed are learned helplessness, the experience of terror, child physical abuse and incest, the terror of sexual violence, and the role of alcohol. The killing of the abuser by the abused is portrayed as the survival behavior of last resort, and it is perceived as "normal" rather than "abnormal" behavior. A separate chapter discusses the prison experience of women convicted of killing their abusers. Other topics discussed are sexism and the law, legal issues, and the making of an expert witness. Subject index.