Our thanks to Graham for this. He writes:

“I came across a case of a police officer serving just 9 months of a 4-year sentence for misconduct in a public office, now openly rebranding herself online, with little sign of regret. It highlights something broader about how accountability is framed.

In cases like this, the language often centres on “naivety,” “immaturity,” “vulnerability” or being influenced by manipulative men. That may sometimes be fair, but it raises an uncomfortable asymmetry: how often do we see the reverse framing applied?

There seems to be a recurring tension in how equality is framed. On the one hand, we say women are just as capable as men, equally competent, equally autonomous, equally suited to positions of power and responsibility. On the other hand, in certain contexts, the narrative shifts toward reduced agency, where poor decisions are more readily attributed to influence, pressure, or manipulation.

Both of those ideas cannot be applied selectively without creating a contradiction. [J4MB: Schrödinger’s Feminism.] If equality is the standard, then accountability should be consistent too, not just in principle, but in how responsibility is actually described and judged based on the sex of the defendant.

This shows up directly in the workplace: a serving police officer abusing a position of trust, alongside similar cases involving prison officers, raises questions about how accountability is actually applied. 

Senior roles, high pay, and authority are justified by accountability, the expectation that you fully own your decisions and their consequences. If we promote equal responsibility but apply accountability unevenly, that undermines the very principle those roles are built on.

There’s also the question of deterrence. When someone can abuse a position of trust, serve a fraction of a sentence, and then publicly turn it into notoriety, what message does that send about consequences?

If equality is the goal, then accountability has to be part of it. Progress isn’t just about access to roles or opportunities, it’s about being held to the same standards once you’re there.

We as a society need to reflect on whether we are applying consistent standards of agency, responsibility, and accountability, or whether those standards shift depending on who is on who is being judged.”

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