Criminology and Criminal Justice Researchers’ Experiences and Challenges with Institutional Review Boards

Authors

Elaine Gunnison, Seattle University
Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Seattle University

Abstract

"Conducting research in criminology and criminal justice settings brings unique challenges involving human subjects. Prior research has examined the quality and effectiveness of Institutional Review Boards (IRB). However, research on the experiences of criminology and criminal justice researchers when interfacing with their IRBs is scant. This study seeks to fill this gap through the exploration of experiences criminology and criminal justice researchers have had with IRBs. Focus groups were conducted with 13 researchers who were members of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology. Results revealed that participants experienced challenges centering around specific themes including: Protocol submission process, IRB lack of understanding of criminal justice research, IRB chair concerns, IRB focus on legality, and appeal policies. Recommendations for improving IRB reviews of protocols and challenges unique to criminology and criminal justice were another emerging theme. Policy implications are discussed."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Gunnison, Elaine and Helfgott, Jacqueline B. (2024) "Criminology and Criminal Justice Researchers’ Experiences and Challenges with Institutional Review Boards," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 13: No. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol13/iss3/3