Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007

252
This presentation is part of : Global Research Issues
Ethical and Legal Considerations in Prison Research and Practice
Kathleen Brewer-Smyth, PhD, RN, CRRN, School of Nursing, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
Learning Objective #1: describe ethical and legal considerations in prison research and practice.
Learning Objective #2: describe investigator and participant issues in prison research and practice.
The number of incarcerated prison inmates is increasing rapidly. Yet limited research addresses health-related factors associated with incarceration. The number of female inmates increased faster than men with a 182% increase during the decade after a decrease in inpatient mental health beds which resulted from the closure of mental health facilities. The high prevalence of psychiatric (80%) and neurological conditions (95%) of prisoners who often receive short sentences for repetitive crimes before returning to high-risk behaviors in the community, presents compelling reasons for prison research and practice to address mental health and other potential contributors to high risk behaviors for crime, HIV transmission, traumatic brain injuries and other conditions prevalent in prisons.

It is imperative for anyone engaging in research or practice with prison populations to be cognizant of laws protecting such vulnerable populations. Researchers and clinicians must plan for interventions in this population based on an understanding of previous research evidence reporting that childhood physical and sexual abuse has preceded mental health conditions, violent, and criminal behavior in many inmates. Prison research and practice must focus on improving quality of life and reducing behaviors that lead to further violence, re-incarcerations, HIV transmission, and other health related conditions that are prevalent in this population. The purpose of this presentation is to describe ethical, legal, and regulatory considerations in order to facilitate critically needed research and practice involving vulnerable prison populations.

 

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