Social Sciences · Criminology & Criminal Justice
Ethics in Criminal Justice Research
Verified Faculty Resource
Ready-to-teach slide deck (60–75 min) covering the ethics of human subjects research in criminal justice. Walks students through the Belmont Report’s three principles, landmark case studies (Tuskegee, Milgram, Stanford Prison Experiment), the IRB system, informed consent, and confidentiality vs. anonymity. Includes sections on vulnerable populations (prisoners, juveniles, victims, active offenders), deception research, researcher safety, and emerging challenges like algorithmic bias and re-identification risk. Free to use under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Who It's For
Designed for undergraduate or graduate students in criminal justice, criminology, or research methods courses. Appropriate for students with no prior exposure to research ethics; requires no statistical background. Works equally well as a standalone ethics unit or as an introduction to a semester-long research methods sequence.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to identify and apply the three core principles of the Belmont Report to criminal justice research scenarios.
- Students will be able to evaluate the ethical dimensions of landmark studies (Tuskegee, Milgram, Stanford Prison Experiment) and explain their impact on IRB policy.
- Students will be able to distinguish between informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity and apply each concept to research designs involving vulnerable populations.
- Students will be able to assess emerging ethical challenges in criminological research, including algorithmic bias and data re-identification risk.
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