Interview: The Inefficiency of Prisons to Deal with Mentally Ill Offender

Interview: The Inefficiency of Prisons to Deal with Mentally Ill Offenders

Interview Questions

1. Do you think that prisons serve a helpful purpose in trying to rehabilitate mentally ill offenders?
2. What do you think happens to mentally ill offenders while in prison?
3. Do you think our country has enough facilities to help rehabilitate mentally ill criminals and assimilate them into society?
4. Have you ever interacted with a mentally ill person who was released from jail? If so, how did you feel around them?
5. Suppose you were to have a mentally ill person just out of jail, living in your neighbourhood, what measures would you undertake to feel safe around them?

Conducting the interviews

I consider conducting in-person interviews as a more accurate way of gathering information for my research. With interviews, it’s easier to get the respondents’ opinions and perception about the issue in question, even through non-verbal communication (Sociology group, 2019).

Since interviews are conducted in private, the respondent doesn’t feel shy from expressing their true feelings, and their responses are not influenced by others (Sociology group, 2019). It is also easier to clarify any information and follow up on any missing details on the spot.

Legal and ethical considerations of my research

  It is to my knowledge that there are a few points I should keep in mind before and while conducting the interviews. Some interviewees might consider the questions offensive, if they’ve previously had a traumatic experience, in line with the issue in question (Unite for Sight, 2020). I should, therefore, avoid questions that are too sensitive and also avoid probing too much in case I notice the interviewee feeling uncomfortable. At the beginning of my interview, I will assure the interviewee that the information he/she shares is confidential and are just for research. In case the information is published, the real names of the interviewee will not be mentioned. Also, the respondent is free to leave at any point during the interview (Kvale, 2007). I would also note the age and gender of the interviewees and ask questions appropriately, putting in mind that some cultures are gender-sensitive..

Since my research involves human subjects and private information, it is important to first have an IRB approval. I will first complete the online certification and project application (Bellevue College, 2018). This is followed by preparation of consent documents, explaining the details about the research, benefits and risks, compensation (if any), confidentiality agreement, issues concerning anonymity and that the interview is voluntary  (Truman State University, 2020). I will then write a proposal form, make adjustments to my interview questions as per the IRB’s board feedback, and get my IRB approval via email. The interviews conducted will be in private, and the interviewees will have full consent and information on what the research is about, and how important their honest feedback is.

Conclusion

Prisons have long been used as a way of punishing offenders, but this has only served to harden them more (Linhorst & Dirks, 1999). It is, therefore, important to put into consideration that bad behaviour could be turned around by positive action (Gruhut et al., 1997).

References

Bellevue College (2018). Institutional Review Board: Apply for IRB Review. Retrieved from https://www.bellevue college.edu/irb/review

Erikson, P., & Erikson, S. (2008). Criminalizing Mental Illness: Does It Matter? In Crime Punishment and Mental Illness: Law and the Behavioral Sciences in Conflict (pp 176- 194). Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hj7hb.11

Gruhut. C et al. (1997). Who Cares For Incarcerated Mentally Ill Offenders? ; Quality of Life Research, 6(7/8), 652- 652. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4035486

Kvale, S. (2007). Ethical Issues of Interviewing. Retrieved from https://www.dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781849208963.n3

Linhorst, D. & Dirks, P. (1999). A Critical Assessment of Disposition Options for Mentally Ill Offenders: Social Service Review, 73(1), 65-81. Retrieved from https://www.doi:10.1086/515797

Sociology Group (2019). Advantages and Disadvantages of Interviews in Research. Retrieved from https://www.sociologygroup.com/advantages-disadvantages-interview-research/

Truman State University (2020). How to Get Approved On Your First Submission! Retrieved from://https.irb.truman.edu/how/to-get-approved-on-your-first-submission/

Unite For Sight (2020). Module 7: Interviewing Ethics: Interviews in Research. Retrieved from https://www.uniteforsight.org/research/-course/module6