Prisoners and research experimentation : past and present practices, a review and update

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of prisoners as experimental subjects in the research areas of disease studies, pharmaceutical and consumer product testing, and the emerging field of psychological-behavioral research. A study in depth of the issue of research experimentation in prisons must by necessity include an historical perspective that links past practices with current projects that have been assessed through the results of a nationwide survey of correctional administrators (representing the fifty states plus the District of Columbia and the federal Bureau of Prisons) and research directors of twenty-two major pharmaceutical companies. The results of this survey intend to show the present status of research experimentation in American penal institutions and to demonstrate the changing character of research projects as a reaction to past criticism and the need to develop future programs compatible with public demands and official guidelines.