Ethical issues arise when prisoners are involved in the research. In most cases, the inmates do not have the right to consent, privacy and confidentiality. However, the inclusion of prisoners fosters diversity in research. Researchers should fulfill the ethical guidelines applied to ordinary individuals when dealing with inmates. If the researchers and the relevant authorities observe the ethical requirements, prisoners are likely to benefit from research through early release and treatment of the conditions that affect them.
Prisoners can benefit from taking part in the research. They constitute the marginalized populations in health and biomedical research (Huang et al., 2017). One of the ethical principles of the research process is diversity, and thus, conducting studies in correction facilities will ensure that the inmates are well represented. Besides, prisoners' inclusion is vital when studying diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS and mental health problems that disproportionately affect them (Abbott et al., 2017). The government should also grant the participants early release. Risk is acceptable in any research, and thus, the prisoners should receive a form of compensation (Silva et al., 2017). Financial incentives may not be adequate. Consequently, researchers can compensate prisoners through early release. This strategy will result in an increased willingness to participate in the research and collection of accurate data.
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The opponents of this idea point out to the ethical issues will arise when prisoners are used in research. It is challenging to adopt ethical principles in correction facilities due to the power differentials and structural challenges to voluntariness (Ako et al., 2020). The authorities are likely to force prisoners to partake in research even if the process can affect their health outcomes. Besides, the participants' privacy is never guaranteed in prison settings; the correction officers can be present during the interviews (Gomes & Duarte , 2020). These officials can create rumors that can harm prisoners' confidence and survival and even interrupt the collection of data. Indeed, the coercive, controlled, and public nature of correction facilities poses health and privacy risks to the prisoners.
Overall, researchers should follow ethical guidelines and include prisoners in studies to benefit them. By guaranteeing early release, the inmates will feel like the researchers respect their right to autonomy. As a result, they will provide accurate data that will inform the involved discipline.
References
Abbott, P., DiGiacomo, M., Magin, P., & Hu, W. (2018). A scoping review of qualitative research methods used with people in prison. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 17 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918803824
Ako, T., Plugge, E., Mhlanga-Gunda, R., & Van Hout, M. C. (2020). Ethical guidance for health research in prisons in low-and middle-income countries: A scoping review. Public Health , 186 , 217-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.07.008
Gomes, S., & Duarte, V. (2020). What about ethics? Developing qualitative research in confinement settings. European Journal of Criminology , 17 (4), 461-479. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370818801305
Huang, E., Cauley, J., & Wagner, J. K. (2017). Barred from better medicine? Reexamining regulatory barriers to the inclusion of prisoners in research. Journal of Law and the Biosciences , 4 (1), 159-174.https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsw064
Silva, D. S., Matheson, F. I., & Lavery, J. V. (2017). Ethics of health research with prisoners in Canada. BioMed Central Medical Ethics , 18 (1), 31.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0189-6
