Reframing masulinity
The most recent (27 March 2026) addition to the Probation Inspectorate’s Academic Insight series is entitled “Reframing masculinity for young men and boys”. Written by Dr. Sophie King-Hill, Associate Professor at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, the report highlights the importance for probation and youth justice practice of understanding current constructions of masculinity. Given the recent concerns about the “manosphere” and damaging, male role models, this is a particularly helpful report which many probation and youth justice practitioners are likely to find well worth their time to read closely.,
Conflicting ideas about masculinity
Dr King-Hill starts by succinctly describing the current dilemma for young men and the justice professionals who work with them. From the start, she emphasises that understanding contemporary masculinity is not an academic exercise but a key practical necessity for working with young men:
“Historically, masculinity has been associated with dominance, control and emotional stoicism. These ideals, while increasingly incompatible with modern social realities, persist in ways that create identity conflicts for boys and men. When societal expectations of toughness and invulnerability coincide with the pressures of adolescence, poverty and marginalisation, the result can be harmful behaviours such as violence, coercive control and sexual offending. These behaviours are not random; they are often attempts to assert or maintain masculine status in environments where identity feels precarious.”
She makes two important additional points; firstly that the digital age has amplified this conflict with (often extreme) misogynistic ideologies found everywhere in the online space from social media platforms to gaming communities. She highlights the way that influencers have gained traction by exploiting young men and boys’ insecurities and framing dominance as the ultimate marker of success.
In the second place, Dr King-Hill discusses the way that mental health further complicates the issue. Boys and young men are disproportionately affected by suicide, depression and substance misuse, yet they rarely present as vulnerable, even when experiencing significant distress.
The author argues that, by understanding modern masculinity, justice professionals are enabled to work more effectively with young men, specifically they are able to undertake the four key elements of successful supervision highlighted in the infographic below:
The interplay between masculinity and mental health
Dr King-Hill argues persuasively that probation and youth justice practitioners need to understand the interplay between masculinity and mental health. She says that traditional punitive models risk exacerbating shame and reinforcing harmful norms. The author advocates a strengths-based and gender-informed approach and spells this out via another helpful infographic:
Dr King-Hill treats the subject of the exclusion of young men and boys from the conversation about violence against women and girls sensitively. She argues that simply blaming young men reinforces negative narratives and makes the situation worse by fostering shame, resentment and defensiveness. She says that including young men in the conversation does not diminish the importance of recognising and addressing VAWG, but can help in tackling it:
“Creating safe spaces for young men and boys to explore identity, challenge harmful norms and develop empathy is essential for reducing violence and promoting equality. This involves reframing masculinity as a positive, inclusive concept and recognising that boys and young men have a stake in building safer communities.”
She also highlights the fact that many boys are also the victims of violence.
Conclusion
Dr King-Hill concludes by saying that addressing masculinity within probation and youth justice practice is not optional; but essential. She argues that by embedding gender-informed, culturally competent and trauma-sensitive approaches, criminal justice professionals can disrupt cycles of harm and support young men and boys in building identities rooted in empathy, respect and accountability. She argues that this approach is for the benefit of young boys and men and the women and girls who are so often the victims of the violence encouraged by masculinity conceived as the dominance and physical and psychological control of women.
Thanks to Alexander Londoño for kind permission to use the header image in this post which was previously published on Unsplash.
