Conducting trauma-informed interviews with vulnerable populations : ethics and best practice for researching in solitary confinement /
We conducted face-to-face interviews with prisoners and staff in solitary confinement units in a state prison system. Prisons are extremely challenging places in which to conduct research. In this case study, we explore three challenges: (1) obtaining consent, (2) protecting confidentiality, and (3)...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London :
SAGE Publications Ltd,
2025.
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| Series: | SAGE research methods. Cases
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | We conducted face-to-face interviews with prisoners and staff in solitary confinement units in a state prison system. Prisons are extremely challenging places in which to conduct research. In this case study, we explore three challenges: (1) obtaining consent, (2) protecting confidentiality, and (3) utilizing trauma-informed practices as strategies for mitigating the potential risks and harm to research participants. Specifically, we take the reader into the highly invisible space of solitary confinement and demonstrate the research process from obtaining consent to addressing concerns about privacy, to exploring the strengths of utilizing face-to-face, qualitative interviewing methodologies. Qualitative interviewing methodologies are an excellent method for centering the voices of the marginalized by giving them power in the research process, for example, by allowing them to guide the narrative and pace of the interview. As we will demonstrate, these techniques also allow for new directions and findings to emerge. Finally, we remind the reader that first and foremost, research with vulnerable populations requires that the researcher employ techniques to minimize harm and risk, including by seeing all participants as human beings and assigning pseudonyms and employing ideal types in analysis and reporting in order to safeguard confidentiality and safety. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| ISBN: | 9781036209162 1036209164 |