Research Ethics in Criminology

Criminologists must set high standards of ethics for conducting research. They also must establish codes of conduct to make sure these standards are upheld. The goal of this case study is to determine if a selected qualitative research process and its identified methods are ethically appropriate. Problem: You are the lead on a team hired by the government to conduct research in the US federal prison system. The focus of the research is to reveal whether or not aging offenders who have been inmates for more than 25 years and are over the age of 50 have become remorseful for the crime (s) they committed. Do not write this assignment as an essay. Instead cut and paste the questions (highlighted in green below)onto a word document and answer them in order – using references, such as your text. Include a title page and reference list. Title page and references must be in APA format, and the entire paper should be double-spaced. Remember to use Babbie highlighted below in yellow. Remorse is the independent variable. Because remorse has many factors, the following questions to the inmates will be included in your research design: 1. My incarceration in the criminal justice system made me remorseful for the crime I was convicted of over time. (Likert scale of 1 - 5) 2. I believe the level of punishment matched the crime I committed. (Likert scale 1 - 5) 3. I believe societal values are fair in imposing sentences for the type of crime I committed? (Likert scale 1 - 5) 4. I feel sorry for the victims who were affected by my crime. (Likert scale 1 - 5) 5. My feelings of sorrow for the victim(s) have changed over time. (Likert scale 1 - 5) 6. Prison rehabilitated me from criminal behavior. (Likert scale 1 - 5) 7. My feelings about the crime I committed and was convicted of changed over time. (Likert scale1 - 5) Over the three-year assignment, the team will visit each of the following types of the 110 federal prisons in the US: 1. Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) - institutions with different missions and security levels located in close proximity to one another. 2. Federal Correctional Institutions (FCI) - Low and Medium Security facilities. 3. Federal Detention Centers (FDC) - inmate reception and transfer centers. 4. Federal Medical Centers (FMC) - for inmates requiring medical or psychiatric care. 5. Federal Prison Camps (FPC) - for minimum-security inmates. 6. Federal Transfer Center 7. U.S. Penitentiaries (USP) - for inmates classified for High (Maximum) Security. The volunteer participants will be both men and women and will be asked the questions personally. Student Discussion Questions As a researcher: 1. How will you evaluate the scientific validity and social value of this study? 2. Will it be important to conduct this study in a naturalistic setting? 3. Will it be methodologically important to keep potential participants unaware of the fact that a study is being conducted? 4. How will you know if members of society benefit from knowledge generated by this study? 5. How will you know if the research participants benefit from their participation in the study? 6. How would you evaluate the potential costs of the study to science, society, and those participating in the research? 7. Will there be any concerns about harm during this research? 8. Will participants exposed be exposed to any potential harm above that which they might experience in their daily lives? 9. Should a psychologist be involved in this study and if so, to what degree? Will the autonomy (the right to self-determination) of research participants be jeopardized in this study? 10. Will the participants’ privacy be violated? 11. How will you determine if informed consent necessary? 12. Are there ways to respect participant autonomy and privacy and still use deception?