It seems that it's not only "Big F feminists" who are all too apparently devoid of a sense of humour :)

There is one aspect of this elephant in the prisons that I find worrisome and that is this trend of having women monitoring men and counselling men. Some of these women that I have met don't even try to hide their poor opinion of men and almost dare you to mention their behavior as if knowing where the fault will be placed before hand. I'm no advocate of separating societal institutions by gender but men are banned from female recovery institutions and I think it would be only just that women not be placed in authority over men in their recovery institutions. And I would like to thank Ryaninsa for his or her post and I think I understand and have witnessed such difference in treatment institutionally from beginning to end. Especially the systemic attitude in the system relating to gender.

Aqvarivs

I agree with what you say, but with reservations.

I was not aware of this rule about women’s recovery or correctional institutions banning male professionals. I have just asked a social worker friend of mine, who has worked extensively with male rehabilitation programs, if this is true. She didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. She insists there is no such rule. If men are not being employed in women’s recovery institutions, the situation has probably come about by professional preference, rather than any hard and fast rules.

Some of the women who work in male correctional or recovery institutions may have a poor opinion of men, as you say, but does that hold true for all of them? Wouldn’t many of the women who work in male institutions be trying to maintain their professionalism as much as the next person?

Also, does it necessarily follow that male staff in correctional facilities would have a high opinion of men? It's fairly common knowledge that varying levels of professional abuse are endemic to prison life for both genders.

My feeling is that there should be at least some opposite-gender presence in correctional or recovery institutions, because it brings another much-needed set of skills and perspectives.

Having said all that, I do agree that there certainly seems to be a need for a decent overhaul of gender attitudes and treatment in the conviction and detention system

MLK, my post wasn't meant to instigate gender defensiveness. I, until my contract ends, work for an institution that does not allow men to be involved with womens recovery. We also counsel and monitor parolees, and while women can work on the mens floors, men can not work on the womens floor. It's part of that "documented to deal differently with women offenders from police, courts and corrections perspectives" that Ryaninsa had mentioned. Womans care separate from mens care and men. I don't know about everywhere but, where I work there is a very strong anti-male sentiment institutionally choreographed into the womans care that spills over to the mens care. I wonder how effective or ineffective such an obvious attitude plays out in long care recovery numbers. When I brought this up at work I was told to reread my contract and understand that I am not allowed to speak publicly on this matter. My contract ends in sept. but, I'm not posting to out anyone I'm merely stating personal experience and knowledge of institutional gender bias put in place by women for women at the expense of men and their care sponsored by taxpayers dollars. If this is an example of feminist equality I fail to see how equitable the balance will be. Though I can see an expansion in the need for more female safe houses as some of these men return to their women or engage with women in future thanks to this anti-male indoctrination over the two to three years they spend with us. And of course it ensures many will return to prison for abusing the terms of their parole.

aqvarivs

It’s interesting that you say you don’t want to ‘instigate gender defensiveness’, but then go on to say that you work in a place with ‘a very strong anti-male sentiment institutionally choreographed into the woman’s care that spills over into the men’s care’.

Whoah …!!

I’m not sure what a ‘women’s recovery’ institution is – whether it’s a correctional facility or a medical rehab facility or something to do with violence against women or something else again, so I can’t comment on the specifics you describe. If I did know more, I might be able to perceive reasonable grounds for the seeming double standard in its male-female access rules.

However, speaking generally, I’ve observed from my own experience over many years that ‘very strong anti-male sentiment’ (aka man-hating) is little more than a euphemism for female assertiveness.

Ahhh. That must be it. I'll bow out gracefully now before I'm accused of something vile. I think this must be why we have lost 5 male employees this past year with all female replacements. Female assertiveness. Good call MLK.