Ethical Issues; Parole and Probation Program Evaluation

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion. Key ethical issues in program evaluation
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

In every study, ethical issues are of great importance as they act as a guide in every research process. Every study is expected to adhere to the research ethics in every step of the evaluation. Therefore, before entering into the first stage in programs evaluation, it is always advisable to make the necessary ethical considerations. This will be of great importance in enhancing research integrity.

In other words, it is always advisable to integrate the rights and the respect for the individuals involved in the research while designing any study or research. It is also important to ensure that vulnerable participants for instance in the cases where the participants are children or from any other vulnerable group are taken care of.

In this case, the main participants will be crime victims who are either under probation or who have been released under parole. In this case, ethical issues become a critical issue. There are a number of associations which provides the framework under which such a program evaluation should be conducted.

These associations play a pivotal role in guiding the researchers in research operations. This includes methods of data collection and analysis, and reporting on program evaluation

Discussion. Key ethical issues in program evaluation

Privacy or confidentiality

Confidentiality is one of important ethical issues involved in the current program evaluation. The participants should be guaranteed the privacy for the information given. In the current program, the participants may be required to give their names for instance when some information need to be clarified from the records. In every research, it is important to keep the confidentiality of the data retrieved.

The interviewer is supposed to observe the privacy of the people who provides the materials during the interview (Iltis 2006: 87). In order to maximize the privacy of the respondents in this study, the names of the respondents should not be written on the questionnaires.

However, the respondents will be free to give their names out of their own will. Similarly, quotations will only be included at the consent of the respondents. In order to ensure that the information given is not accessed by wrong individuals who may abuse it, it would be advisable to destroy all the questionnaires after entering the information retrieved in the system.

Benefits and Risk consideration

In some cases, an evaluation may consist of benefits or even risks to the participant. Participants may either benefit directly or indirectly from a research exercise. For instance, the participants may get some token for participating in the interview.

Some interviews may take a significant duration of time and therefore it could be better to give the participants some token in order to encourage them to participate in answering interview questions. An evaluation may also include the benefits of improving the performance of a program which may also be of great importance for individuals participating in such programs later.

Program evaluation may also include some risks. Before undertaking an evaluation, it is always advisable to consider any possible risk which can take place. It is always advisable to evaluate these risks and then take the necessary mitigation measures.

For instance, in the evaluation of the parole and probation; the participants are usually crime victims. Therefore, there is a high risk posed on the participants based on the information they give. It is therefore necessary to consider these risks while carrying out an evaluation on these two programs.

One of the main risks which the participants may be exposed to in this case is the safety concerns. For instance, some people may abuse the given information and then abuse such information to victimize the participants. In this case, the participant may suffer harm from participating in the program evaluation.

For instance, in the parole and probation program evaluation, a prisoner may be a participant in the interview. In this case, the prisoner may give information on the crimes they were involved in. In this case, another person may access the given information and abuse it by using it as evidence against the participant.

The participants may also be required to answer some questions in the interview which may be traumatizing. Such kind of questions may be distressing to the participant and may lead to complications. While interviewing a person, the process consumes their time and energy.

This is more so in the structured questionnaires where the participants need to explain the questions asked in details. This is one of the ways of interrupting individuals’ life. For instance, the person may have sacrificed some of their duties in order to participate in the interview.

The participants may also be exposed to social harm for their participation. This comes as a result of violation of their privacy. In this case, when the participants are exposed to the society that they were involved in a certain crime and that they were released under the parole, this may violate their confidentiality. The participants may not for instance be willing to be exposed about the crimes they were previously involved in.

Risk Mitigation and Benefit Maximization in Program Evaluation

The discussion above has clearly shown that there are a number of risks which are involved in program evaluation exercise. There is also some benefits associate with program evaluation process. Therefore, the major concern in this case will be obtaining the optimal results.

That is, maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks. Although the risks cannot be eliminated completely, it is advisable to design the program evaluation process in such away that the risks are minimized (Bebeau et al. 1995: 50).

There are several measures which can be taken to mitigate risks in a parole and probation program evaluation. To start with, it will be necessary to ensure that all the process involved in the evaluation process is as short as possible. This will help in reducing the chances of intrusion.

As already observed, some questions may affect the participants emotionally. The interviewer must refrain from asking such questions because they pose harm to the participant. Such questions should be asked only in a situation where the information being retrieved through such question is of great importance. For instance, information may be important in improving certain services.

Another way through which benefits can be maximized in the current project evaluation is by rewarding the participants. This may involve giving the participants small token. This will encourage them and they will feel encouraged and confident that their time is not wasted. It will also be advisable for the researchers to explain the importance of participation in the program to the participant and the society in general.

Informed Consent

Another important ethical issue that is critical in the parole and probation program evaluation is informed consent. Informed consent implies that the participant will access all the information about the process and then make their decision to participate or not to participate based on this information.

In the parole and probation program evaluation, every person involved must have the freedom to choose whether to participate or not. Therefore, there should not be any penalty for not participating in the process.

For instance, it would be wrong to have a situation where for instance the prisoners will be asked to participate in order to access certain services (Arrigo and Williams 2006: 124). In other words, people should be free to choose any course of action without any intimidation.

In some cases, the participants may not be willing to contribute to certain parts of the project for various reasons. In such a case, it is advisable to allow the participants an opportunity to avoid it without forcing them (Panel on Scientific Responsibility and the Conduct of Research 1993: 26).

In addition, the participants should have the freedom to leave the project at any point at their own consent. Again, the research should not make any effort to force them continue with the research.

Before the participants join the program, they should be provided with all the information about the program. For instance, they should be informed in advance about the kind of the questions they should expect. This should also include the genuine duration of an interview.

In case the participants have any question concerning the research, the research has the responsibility of giving them the correct answers (Bland & Schmitz 1986: 27). In some cases, the interviewer and the correspondent may be coming from differences.

It is therefore importance to ensure that the researcher communicates using the language which the respondent can understand. In this case, the research has any possible risks or benefits, the participant should be openly informed. Again, this information will be necessary as it will help them to make best decisions on their participation.

In this case of the parole and probation program evaluation, the need to collect information about the participant from a third party may arise. For instance, there may be a need to evaluate the records of a certain prisoner granted a parole in order to compare the records with the information given.

In this case, the participant may be required to fill a consent form so that it becomes easier to get their information from the prison.

Participants’ Safety

In the present evaluation, some of the subjects are going to be crime victims. The issue of security is therefore very critical in this case. The researchers will need to protect the participants from any form of victimization.

For instance, the researcher may retrieve information like involvement in abusive activities while under probation. In such a situation, the interviewer must ensure the security of the participants (Taubes 1993: 1109). However, they may use safe ways to help the participants.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this discussion has clearly highlighted the critical ethical considerations which should be taken into account while conducting a parole and probation program evaluation. Every research should take into account all the ethical issues in order to avoid any problems associated with unethical research conducts. The program evaluation should not pose any mental or physical risk to the participant.

The participants should also be provided with all the necessary information about the program. This will help them in making their most appropriate decisions on whether to participate or not to participate in the research.

The respondents will be free to participate in the research voluntarily. No one will be forced to participate in the study through force or enticement of any kind. This will ensure that the participants involved in the study are comfortable and this will improve the quality of information collected.

The information to be collected in this study will therefore not pose any danger to any person in any way. The process and the activities involved do not pose any psychological, economic, emotional or social risks to the parties involved in the study.

Reference List

Arrigo, B. and Williams, C. (2006). Philosophy, Crime, and Criminology. U.S.A.: University of Illinois Press.

Bebeau, M. et al. (1995). Moral Reasoning in Scientific Research: Cases for Teaching and Assessment. Bloomington, Ind.

Bland, C. and Schmitz, C. (1986). Characteristics of the successful researcher and implications for faculty development. Journal of Medical Education. Vol. 61:22–31.

Iltis, A. (2006). Research Ethics. New York. Taylor & Francis.

Panel on Scientific Responsibility and the Conduct of Research. (1993). Introduction to Responsible Science: Ensuring the Integrity of the Research Process. National Academy Press. Washington D.C. 22–31.

Taubes, G. (1993). Misconduct (Views from the trenches). Vol. 261:1108–11.

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