Whore to Madonna and Back: The Challenge of Being a Female Therapist in a Male Prison (From Women in Corrections: Staff and Clients, P 1-11, 2000, Australian Institute of Criminology -- See NCJ-187936)

• NCJ Number: 187972
• Author(s): Jacinta Pollard; Laura Sorbello
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Paper presented at the Women in Corrections: Staff and Clients Conference held in Adelaide, Australia, October 31-November 1, 2000. Downloaded March 21, 2001

Annotation

Based on qualitative data obtained from Caraniche therapists currently working in the Victorian correctional system (Australia), this paper explores the challenges faced by female therapists working within male prisons.

Abstract

Female therapists working within male prisons encounter a range of stereotypes, attitudes, and expectations significantly different from those faced by men working within the same setting. By establishing therapeutic contact in environments in which relationships are often viewed as suspect, dangerous, or inappropriate, all therapists challenge prison culture and prison norms. In such an environment, the behavior, appearance, sexuality, and professionalism of female therapists is often brought into question. In a predominantly male environment in which the majority of the inmates are in a state of forced celibacy, their sexuality focuses on the few women within this environment. This means that the sexuality of female staff is placed under the spotlight in a way they have rarely experienced. The main sexual stereotype confronting female staff is the "whore/tease," within which the woman is viewed largely as a sex object for the mens' sexual fantasy. The nature of this sexual stereotype will shift depending on the woman's response to it. If she is perceived to enjoy it, it escalates, and she is further devalued to the point of losing professional credibility; however, if she ignores it or responds icily, she is a "tease," who enjoys tormenting inmates by reminding them of what they cannot have. Often the best way of handling sexual projections is to get to know both the inmates and the prison officers. Once you are experienced as a real person instead of a stereotype, it becomes more difficult for stereotypes and fantasies to persist. The more wholesome images are those of "good" women, in which the woman is a nurturer rather than a professional. This image carries the attitude that female staff are naive, gullible, and easily manipulated. Given the distinctive stereotypes and images associated with females working in male prisons, this paper provides 13 guidelines for female therapists working in male prisons. 2 references