Chapter 4 - Criminal Justice and Criminology Research Methods, 2nd Edition

The Ethics and Politics of Crime and Justice Research Chapter 4 1 Ethics in Crime and Justice Research 1. Scientific Misconduct: Occurs when a researcher falsifies or distorts the data or methods of data collection, or plagiarizes the work of others. 2. Research Fraud: Occurs when a researcher fakes or invents data that were not really collected, or falsely reports how research was conducted. 2 Ethics in Crime and Justice Research 3. Plagiarism: Fraud that occurs when a researcher steals the ideas or writings of another or uses them without citing the source. 4. Utilitarianism: Asks the question, do the potential benefits of the research outweigh the potential costs to research participants. 5. Research Atrocities: Gross violations of human rights in the course of conducting scientific research. 3 3 Examples of Research Misconduct 1. Zimbardo Prison Experiment: A famous research study in which student volunteers worked in a simulated prison environment as prisoners and guards. 2. Milgram’s Obediance Study: A famous research study in which researcher attempted to discover how people respond to the social pressure to obey authority. 3. Humphrey’s ‘Tearoom Trade’: A famous research study in which the researcher observed men engaging in sexual acts in a public bathroom, and then tracked them down a year later to conduct covert interviews. 4 Issues Surrounding Consent Voluntary Consent: An ethical principle that people should never participate in research unless they explicitly and freely agree to participate. Informed Consent: A statement, usually written, that explains aspects of a study to participants and asks for their voluntary agreement to participate before the study begins. 5 Types of Cover Covert : Researcher does not disclose the purpose or objective of the study. Deep Cover: Researcher completely disguises his or her true identity and research purposes. Shallow Cover: Researcher reveals research is being conducted but is vague. Explicit Cover: Researcher fully reveals purpose and asks permission. 6 Anonymity and Confidentiality in Research Anonymity: The ethical protection that participants remain nameless and their identity is protected. Confidentiality: The ethical protection for those who are studied by holding research data in confidence or keeping them secret from the public. 7 Further Ethical Issues in Research New Inequality: One group of people is denied a service or benefit as a result of participation in a research project. Privacy: Invasion of a person’s privacy when they probe into background that reveals intimate private details. Code of Ethics: Principles and guidelines developed to clarify the line between ethical and unethical behavior. 8 Academic Freedom A guarantee that researchers and/or teachers are free to examine all topics and discuss all ideas without any restrictions, threats, or interference from people, authorities, or government agencies outside the community of teachers, scholars, and scientists. 9