Amid backlash and calls for the resignation of Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare, who openly indicated that he intends to hold new female recruits to a harsher standard than male recruits, Minister of National Security Myles LaRoda stated that he strongly disagrees with Cleare’s comments.
During a ceremony for the newest cohort of Squad A corrections officers on Monday, Cleare told female recruits that they could be quickly fired after making a mistake, while saying that he would have more patience for male recruits.
Cleare explained that the department planned a target of 70 men and 30 women, but settled for a ratio of 60 men and 40 women, which officials still failed to reach, as the department received more female applications than male applications.
The new squad includes 38 women and around 41 men.
The commissioner said the department currently has over 400 females trying to get into the ranks; however, it found difficulty locating enough qualified male candidates.
His comments sparked controversy from women’s advocates who labeled his statement as concerning and discriminatory.
“I summoned the commissioner to my office and I told him that what I had read in the papers, I told him that as a minister for national security and as a part of this government, I strongly disapprove of the words that were used,” LaRoda said yesterday while speaking in the House of Assembly.
“I informed him that as a member of this government, where you, Madam Speaker, [are] the leader of the legislative branch, that every female MP is a substantive Cabinet minister. The ministry of which I currently lead, you have a commissioner of police that’s female, the defense force has a deputy commodore, and that in his department that he recommended that the government approve, three of his assistant commissioners are females.”
LaRoda addressed the matter after Killarney MP Michela Barnett-Ellis requested clarification on whether Cleare’s comments reflect departmental policy and honor the government’s commitment to equal treatment.
Barnett-Ellis noted that the law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.
LaRoda stated that Cleare told him that the comments were made during a “jovial” conversation with recruits, adding that Cleare had written a letter apologizing to the permanent secretary as the minister revealed plans to meet with Cleare again this week.
“I told him, notwithstanding that that his position carries a lot of weight, that there are females in his institution and there are other females in any institution in the country that should not be subjected to those types of words, even if it was said in jest or just jokingly,” LaRoda said.
“I told him that there is no place for that.
“Myself and the permanent secretary will meet with the commissioner again sometime last week to further discuss the matter.
“… We strongly disagree with those words that was used, and there is no place in our country where a leader could feel comfortable in saying that females in particular would be treated differently from males, especially when it comes to institutions that have been dominated by males.”
During his remarks at the signing-over ceremony, Cleare said the department has “too much” female recruits.
He said that the department searched each island in the country looking for qualified people and couldn’t find 100 people to fill the ranks.
“Our waiting list now is over 400 females trying to get in here, but it is the males who I will try to massage, wash your toes, and wash your feet to try to get you in line, but if you do fool, we still going to let you go,” Cleare stated.
“… It’s nothing to say that women can’t do the job, but still, you need that male factor in the uniform branches, and right now it’s difficult.”
In a statement, Women United President Lisa Bostwick-Dean called for Cleare’s resignation and an investigation into the Department of Correctional Services’ recruitment process and policies.
Bostwick-Dean said Cleare’s implication that female recruits will face tougher scrutiny and consequences than male recruits is inappropriate and insulting to women, and raises flags about his capability to lead a mixed-gender squad with impartiality.
“To imply that female recruits should be held to a harsher standard — where even a single mistake disqualifies them while struggling male recruits would be ‘massaged’ and coddled — is unjust and reinforces a troubling double standard,” the statement read.
“His statement institutionalizes a double standard that devalues the achievements of women and sends a dangerous message that competence matters less than gender.”
It continued, “The commissioner’s statement is discriminatory, demeaning, and wholly unbefitting of a senior public official. Given that he has publicly declared that he will apply a different — more forgiving — standard to male recruits while reserving a zero-tolerance approach for women, he has demonstrated that he can no longer lead a mixed-gender squad with impartiality.
“He has openly admitted to an intent to discriminate, which not only erodes the trust and morale of the women under his command but also exposes the Department of Corrections to substantial legal liability for wrongful dismissal.
“… Under these circumstances, Commissioner Cleare can no longer command the confidence of the women he is meant to lead, and we, therefore, call for his resignation.”
Bostwick-Dean said that the goal of attracting more qualified men must be pursued through higher standards and further investment in education, not through lowering the bar for men at the expense of women.
The president pushed for a balanced representation of men and women across all fields.
