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Chapter contents. David Scott. Introduction
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CHAPTER CONTENTS
· Introduction 138
· Ontology and Epistemology 138
· The Politics of Social Research 142
¡ The search for truth 142
¡ Scientific relevancy 143
¡ The policing of researchers 144
¡ Funding fit 145
· The Ethics of Social Research 148
¡ Consequentialist ethics 148
¡ Ethical guidelines, principles and duties 150
¡ Virtuous researchers 152
¡ Situational and relational ethics 153
· Summary and Review 154
· Study Questions and Activities for Students 155
· Suggestions for Further Reading 156
· References 157
GLOSSARY TERMS
ontology epistemology inquest abolitionist positivist
self-inflicted deaths (SIDs)
THE POLITICS AND ETHICS OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH
DavId Scott
INTRODUCTION
The ways in which we understand the world we live in and how we talk about social reality influence not only what we consider to be right or wrong but also whether we consider it important that this state of affairs continues or is brought to an end. Our cur- rent ‘knowledge’ about ‘crime’, harm and punishment come from a number of different sources, but one of the most significant is criminological research. But how is the knowl- edge generated, and what are the underlying assumptions that shape the questions and findings of such research? This chapter is about the politics and ethics of doing crimino- logical research and it starts by introducing the philosophical conceptions of ontology and epistemology, two important ideas referred to throughout the chapter which bring to our attention competing interpretations of the nature of social reality and questions regarding the legitimacy of criminological knowledge. It is important that we think care- fully about how we know things (epistemology) and what things are (ontology) as this shapes the way we act. Ultimately, what we know and how we know it are informed by our politics and ethics. To illustrate how political and ethical considerations shape the way we conceive and evidence social realities, the chapter refers to a number of critical studies on imprisonment, with particular focus on the competing ways of framing self- inflicted deaths. A self-inflicted death (SID) occurs when somebody takes their own life. This only becomes a suicide if the person intended to die and is officially defined as such by the Coroner’s Court at an inquest. The distinction between a suicide and SID is very important because a number of prisoners in the past have died when acts of ‘self-harm’, intended only as a ‘cry for help’, have gone wrong and resulted in their death, and also because of the way in which prisoner deaths are recorded by the Prison Service.
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Significantly, this chapter explores the politics and then the ethics of doing crimino- logical research from an abolitionist perspective. When addressing the politics of criminological research, the chapter locates the ‘search for truth’ within the context of State power, social divisions and an increasing emphasis on research funding and spon- sorship. It is argued that our current political climate has facilitated the (self)-policing of ‘deviant’ criminologists and the privileging of research projects which share the domain assumptions of the State. The ethics of criminological research are then sur- veyed, with four influential approaches considered: the justification of research on the grounds of its positive consequences; the promotion of close adherence to Research Ethics Boards’ (REBs); emphasis on cultivating the virtues of the researcher; and a focus on ethical questions which arise during the research itself. The chapter concludes with some critical reflections on the challenges of doing criminological research ethically.
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