Men & Probation

As most of us know men make up the majority of our prison and jail populations with an increasing number of women nowadays. Also, men make up the majority of employed probation officers as well. In this blog I want to focus on how hegemonic masculinity reaches out and effects probation and the work it is trying accomplish. 

Hegemonic masculinity plays a big part in the criminal justice system as we have found out. Men are encouraged to commit violent acts and crimes in general through the use of media and some social structures. It is from my observations that some men just can't comply with the stipulations of probation and I think it has a lot to do the societal pressures of masculinity they face. Once a man is placed on probation he is expected to follow the guidelines of his probation and be fall back into the grooves of society. I refer to guidelines which are rules such as no alcohol consumption or possession, having to check in with your probation officer sometimes multiple times daily and regular urine tests. When men are on probation it would be easy to feel powerless or like a child again. I think that a very valid reason some men don't succeed while on probation because they can't give up some of their masculinity.

As a probation officer I hope to challenge this by letting my clients feel as if they still have some control over their life. I want them to feel like I'm not treating them as children and that they are responsible for making changes to their lives. I think this is one of the first steps in helping men be successful on their journey on probation because we can't expect them to be contributing members of society and better their lives if they feel like they are being stripped of all their dignity.