County correctional facilities research

103 CMR: DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION

103 CMR 917.00: COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES -- RESEARCH

Section

917.01: General 917.02: Application to Conduct Research 917.03: Conduct of Research

917.01: General

The Sheriff/facility administrator shall develop guidelines governing the conduct of research. Research shall include, but not be limited to, studies involving the use of interviews, questionnaires, and reviews of case records. It may not include any study which will expose research subjects to the possibility of physical, psychological or other harm as a consequence of their participation in the study. Biomedical research and experimentation using inmate subjects is specifically prohibited under 103 CMR 932.19: Medical Experimentation and Research (Required).

917.02: Application to Conduct Research

(1) The Sheriff/facility administrator shall in conformity with the parent agency's policy review and approve all facility research projects prior to implementation.

(2) The Sheriff/facility administrator shall require, at a minimum, that the following information be provided in any application to conduct research in the facility: (a) the name, address, and telephone number of the principal researcher and of all research staff; (b) an endorsement by a recognized research organization, such as a university, private foundation, consulting firm or public agency certifying that the research is for valid scientific, educational, or other public purposes; (c) a summary of the goals of the study; (d) a description of the research design including procedures for data collection, procedures which will be followed to protect inmate privacy, details of any compensation to be paid to inmates; and (e) when a study requires access to criminal offender record information (CORI), the researcher shall apply for access to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) and shall provide the Sheriff/facility administrator with a copy of the DCJIS' letter of approval before being allowed to begin the research. (Refer to M.G.L. c. 6, § 173.)

917.03: Conduct of Research

(1) Written policy and procedure shall govern the conduct of research to comply with state and federal guidelines for the use and dissemination of research findings and with accepted professional and scientific ethics. Research involving criminal offender record information (CORI) shall be conducted in accordance with regulations promulgated by DCJIS.

(2) All inmates shall be informed that any participation in the research is purely voluntary and shall not affect the terms or length of their confinement.

(3) The researcher shall provide a clear and comprehensible explanation of the study to all potential participants.

(4) The name or other information which might lead to identification of a particular subject may not be used in any report of research results.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

103 CMR 917.00: M.G.L. c. 124, § (1), (c), (d) and (q); c. 127, §§ 1A and 1B.

(MA REG. # 1334, Dated 3-10-17)