Confidentiality and Anonymity - Assignment Example

Critical reflection Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Critical reflection Introduction It is an apparent fact that there are diverse ethical issues which are evident in research undertakings. This is founded on the fact that the research process creates massive tension between the goals of the research towards making generalizations for the good of others, and on the other hand the rights of those participating in the research to maintain privacy (Orb, Eisenhauer & Wynaden, 2000). Most of these ethical issues are bound to arise in the case studies which will be explored in the subsequent analysis. Key ethical issues Confidentiality and anonymity Many scholars and researchers have alluded to the centrality of this ethical issue in criminology researches. This is mostly founded on the sensitive nature of the acquired information and the need not to expose the identity and character of the respondent. This has led scholars like Fouka and Mantzorou (2011) to infer that if a researcher is incapable of promising anonymity to the respondents, he/she ought to concretely address confidentiality; the ability of the research to manage private information aimed at protecting the identity of various subjects. In the first case study, confidentiality and anonymity is a key ethical issue which is bound to be confronted by the researcher. This is based on both the nature of the research as well as the information which is bound to be generated from the research. For instance, in the case under analysis, it has been revealed that many of the young men revealed that they had committed violent acts, including four young men who informed the interviewers that they had been involved in homicides. The above case raises extensive confidentiality issues to the researcher. This fact is fortified by Knerr and Carroll (1978) who determined that in such cases as above, there is a risk of the researchers being compelled by the governmental authorities and law enforcement agencies to engage in disclosure of the information obtained from or about a particular subject. In such a case, a researcher might choose either to obey such an order and in the process compromise and violate a vow to the subject or completely refuse to obey the court order and in the process suffer certain consequences which might include imprisonment. This is similar in the second case study whereby confidentiality is a key ethical issue. In this case, the bouncer is compelled to keep the information he/she gains from the club patrons, for instance, not leaking the drug dealing information to the law enforcement agencies. Informed consent This is yet another core ethical issue raised in both case studies. According to Armiger (1997), informed consent can be taken to mean that a respondent knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily, and in a clear and manifest way, gives his consent. Diverse scholars for instance, Ogloff & Otto (1991), Matthew & McGrath (2002) as well as Paasche-Orlow, Taylor, & Brancati (2003) among other have inferred that in typical cases, the consent forms are often written at a level which necessitates a higher level of education in order to read and gain in-depth understanding, than is mostly suitable for the intended research participants. In the first case study, the content and wording of the consent statement raises several ethical issues. This is based on the fact that most of the respondents are between the ages of 14 and 18 years and might not have the full capacity of understanding the content and risks of giving their consent to participate in the research. This is best epitomized whereby the respondents might sign the consent form based on assumption that the information they give will not be forwarded to the authorities. Nonetheless, in case there is admission in the form that justice authorities might impound on the records of the researcher, the refusals to participate in the research would have been so massive that the objectives and goals of the research would be impossible to achieve (Wolfgang, 1981). In the second case, informed consent is also a key ethical issue. This is whereby the researcher is bound to gain consent from the respondents prior to gaining information from them. This is key in ensuring that the respondents willingly participate in the research without feeling coerced or intimidated. Why these are concerns in the ethical practice of criminological research The above issues are major concerns in the ethical practice of criminology research based on several reasons. The first reason is the sensitive nature of the subject matter of the research. In this case, there are diverse bodies, ranging from the law enforcement agencies to the governmental authorities who might be interested in the information gained from such a study (Israel, 2004). In such a case, the issue of confidentiality as expounded in the preceding section becomes a key concern in the ethical practice of this criminology research. The second reason is based on the vulnerability of the specific kind of the research participant, for instance, the 14 year olds in the first case study. In this case, some of the youths in this study who are as young as 14 years might not have adequate education to enable them comprehensively comprehend the risks and reservations in this study. As a result, the issue of gaining the informed consent of these respondents is critical in the above undertaking which places at the center of criminology research. The last reason explored in this section is the general attitude of the criminal justice institutions, who in most cases undertake the role of gatekeepers to such researches (Israel, 2004). This is best epitomized in the first case study whereby the criminal justice institutions who gate keep the undertaking of such a study might have stringent terms and conditions which pre-compel the researchers to submit the findings from the research to these institutions. In such a situation, the research is confronted by the dilemma of keeping up with such pre-conditions from the criminal justice institutions or protecting the confidentiality vow made to the researcher. As mentioned in the preceding section, in case the consent form which is to be signed by the respondents stipulate that the information will be forwarded to the criminal justice system, there is the possibility of the refusals to participate in the research being so massive that the objectives and goals of the research would be impossible to achieve. This reality is also evident in the second case study whereby the revelation of the researcher forwarding the drug dealing undertakings of the club patrons might scare away any prospective respondents. The inherent nature of the concerns in criminological researches mentioned in the preceding analysis led Johnson and Altheide (2002) to infer that those who find the matters of research ethics to be most problematic are those who engage in the study of the police or other official control agencies, deviant or criminal behavior or covert political or secretive groups. Probable change of the ethical issue with scenario alteration In a situation the first case study was studying the experiences and attitudes of police officers to violence, instead of potential offenders, it is a general feeling in this paper that the ethical issues would not have any significant change. Firstly, even if the study was among the police officers, there is a high level of confidentiality which ought to be maintained. This is founded on the fact that the police offers might give the researcher some sensitive information, for instance, breakdown in the law enforcement ranks, misconducts and corruption allegations among others. Leaking of such information, for instance, to the media together with the identity of the respondents can be highly detrimental to their careers and even to their lives. In such a case, confidentiality still remains a central ethical issue despite the change of the nature of the respondents. Nonetheless, these ethical concerns are bound to change in the second case study if the bouncer was to stand on the street and observe the behaviors of the patrons. This is based on the fact that he might not be compelled to seek the consent of the patrons in order to observe their behaviors. In actual sense, the researcher might be interested in observing the actual behaviors of the patrons and seeking their consent might make them to modify their natural behavior based on the realization that they are being observed. Thus, the change of scenarios in both cases is bound to have significant impacts on the ethical issues in the second case study (mostly related to informed consent). Nonetheless, the change of scenario in the first case is bound to have minimal or no impact at all on the ethical issues. Conclusion In the case studies under analysis, two ethical issues namely confidentiality and informed consent have been critically reflected upon in addition to how they fit in the cases under analysis. Moreover, this review has explored several reasons why these are concerns in the ethical practice of criminological research. Lastly, this critical reflection has revealed that these issues would change with a scenario change in the second case but will not be altered with the change pf respondents to policemen in the first case. References Armiger, B., (1997). Ethics in Nursing Research: Profile, Principles, Perspective. Nursing Research, 26 (5), 330-333. Fouka, G., & Mantzorou, M., (2011). What are the Major Ethical Issues in Conducting Research? Is there a Conflict between the Research Ethics and the Nature of Nursing?. Health Science Journal, 5 (1), 3-14. Israel, M., (2004). Ethics and the governanceof criminological researchin Australia. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Johnson, J.M. &Altheide, D.L. (2002) Reflections on Professional Ethics. Weinberg, M. (2002) Biting the Hand that Feeds you, and other Feminist dilemmas in Fieldwork. In Van Den Hoonaard, W.C. (ed.), Walking the Tightrope: Ethical Issues for Qualitative Researchers(pp. 59-69). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Knerr, C.R., & Carroll, J.D., (1978). Confidentiality and criminological research: The evolving body of law. The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 69(3), 311-321. Matthew, J.,& McGrath, J., (2002). Readability of consent forms in schizophrenia research. Australia & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(4), 564-565. Ogloff, J. R., & Otto, R. K., (1991). Are research participants truly informed? Readability of informed consent forms used in research. Ethics & Behavior, 1(4), 239-252. Orb, A., Eisenhauer, L., & Wynaden,D., (2000). Ethics in Qualitative Research. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 33(1), 93-96 Paasche-Orlow, M. K., Taylor, H. A., & Brancati, F. L., (2003). Readability Standards for InformedConsent Forms as Compared with Actual Readability. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(8), 721-726. Wolfgang, M.E., (1981). Confidentiality in Criminological Research andOther Ethical Issues. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 72(1), 345-361. Read More