NCJ Number
216695
Journal
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice: An Interdisciplinary Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 88-99
Date Published
January 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the factors impacting the probability of approval or rejection to conduct external research in juvenile correctional agencies.
Abstract
The factors that emerged as the most significant in the decisionmaking process about whether to allow external research within juvenile correctional agencies were related to the subject of the research, the qualifications of the researcher, and the potential impact of the research on the agency. The issue of agency benefit was perhaps the most important in evaluating potential research projects. Indeed, the process of research approval involved a cost-benefit analysis in which the expected benefits of the research were weighed against the anticipated disruptions to the institution, such as staff time and disruptions to daily routines. Including youth as research participants did not have a significant impact on research approval decisions. All respondents reported that research proposals were more likely to be approved if they required minimal staff time and made use of computer-driven data collection instruments. Researchers are encouraged to emphasize how the research will benefit the agency while keeping institutional disruptions at a minimum. Surveys were completed by the research departments of 15 State juvenile corrections agencies that have approved external research requests in the past. The survey asked respondents to check the responses that best represented the factors affecting the research approval decisionmaking process. The factors fell into four categories: (1) research subject matter; (2) cost-benefits to the agency; (3) institutional participation requirements; and (4) researcher qualification. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Tables, notes, references