Sorry lads. Sometimes, to some people, to be a man, is to be born into guilt. Guilty for crimes he never committed, and guilty for the actions of other men. Collectively guilty for all the world’s ills - for everyone, everywhere, and for all of time. ‘Men.’ The original sin, the evil sex, the tyrannical oppressor class; they are the ghoul under your bed, the shadow beneath the stairs, the patriarch atop the high tower. Naturally, this translates into criminal court. Where men are more likely to be imprisoned, and will receive longer sentences if they are, even when committing the same crime as a woman… and doubly so for black men. Yes. Longer sentences, for the same crime. More likely to be incarcerated, under similar criminal circumstances. I believe they call that ‘systemic sexism’, or ‘institutional sexism’, take your pick, it needn’t matter, as I hear such things against men “don’t exist”. But the facts don’t lie. Equally criminal women are seen as less culpable, less dangerous, and less deserving of punishment (especially when the victim is a man), and so women are therefore treated with more leniency. It is the invisible and benevolent privilege of being seen as inherently innocent. Whilst if women are to be found guilty, her actions will likely be seen as “forced”, and probably by a man. So, whilst men are made accountable for the crimes of others, many women aren’t even seen as responsible for their own. And for some that still isn’t enough. Many are calling to close women’s prisons altogether - for what use is a prison for the innocent gender, and society’s perpetual victim? So how have we arrived here? And will we ever utter the forbidden words “systemic sexism against men?” What do you think? ~ Ministry of Justice  Professor Spohn Gender Sentencing Bias Racial Sentencing Bias Images by Diego Gonzarlez, Andrea Serrano, Kelly Sikkema, Lucas Gouvea and Gradienta.

2023-12-08