The North Central University Ethics Committee - Case Study Example

The mere topic itself of the proposed dissertation, “The Effects of MMind-AlteringDrugs on Juvenile Recidivism”, touches on some ethical areas of concern. First, the word “juvenile” in the title indicates that the intended respondents of the study will be children. Secondly, the word “recidivism” in the title indicates reoffending of individuals, or prisoners, whose cases have been processed in the criminal justice system.Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 46 (45 CFR 46) includes additional protections for vulnerable subjects.

In Subpart C deals with prisoners and Subpart D tackles children as subjects of research investigations.By virtue of the provisions of Subpart C, federal laws exact stringent restrictions on the participation of prisoners as research subjects. Kiefer extracted the core of the legislation which singled out the only acceptable rationale for involving prisoners in research investigation is the impact of the study on the well-being of the prisoners. As a matter of fact, 45 CFR 46 Subpart C specifies that under no circumstances should prisoners be used as a population of convenience.

While this researcher clearly sees Kiefer’s (2008) perspective on the very limited support system in detention, it is believed that the questions included in the self-report will not pose serious risks such as anxiety on the part of the participants. The self-report questionnaire was adopted from two national studies, the Bennett study and the ADAM program.