Question

Research Methods in Criminal Justice

You are intersted in conducting a research study of juvenile auto theft. You have decided to conduct interviews to obtain information from the juveniles. List the ethical issues you need to address to complete this project.

Answer 1

answer-

the ethical issues which we need to address to complete this project are-

First issue is to take the permission of parents or guardians of the Juveniles as they are young and under the legal age so such kind of research like related to criminal activities like autotheft should involve their parents otherwise it would be unethical to ask questions to them which they may or may not have any understanding.

In short, Access to children and young people has also often to be negotiated with parents and families

the second issue is to respect the decision of Young one taking part in research. it is of primary importance that, where possible, children themselves have the right to decide about their participation in research. Carrying out any research with children and young people necessitates obtaining children’s and young people’s informed consent. However the nature and meaning of informed consent in respect of children, and the ways in which this can be achieved, needs to be considered carefully. For example, if children are asked whether they wish to participate in research taking place at school, researchers need to consider the extent to which children may feel obliged to give consent, in a context structured by relations of authority between the children and adults in which they may often feel disenfranchised. In addition, in any context, researchers need to consider how the traditional authority relations between adults and children might be mitigated, so that children’s consent can be given freely.

In some social and cultural contexts ethical concerns may arise when parents or other adults may have given their consent and children may feel unable, therefore to refuse to participate in the project. Continuing to negotiate consent with children throughout the project can help overcome this issue and if the researcher feels that the children’s refusal to participate in the project may get them into trouble with their parents/guardians then one strategy may be just talk to them generally for a while before leaving. Of course, decisions about informed consent and the process for obtaining it will vary according to the age of the children or young people involved in the research, and the nature of the research .