Ethical Dilemmas in the Research Setting

The frequency with which criminological researchers are confronted with various ethical dilemmas is ascertained through a survey of members of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). The results of this survey reveal that approximately 63% of those criminologists who have been active in research since 1975 have experienced one or more of eight types of ethical dilemmas. Further analysis demonstrates that criminologists favor developing a professional code of conduct as well as some legal guidelines in this area. The majority of those surveyed do not believe governmental regulations or a general sense of morality among the researchers are effective mechanisms in preventing ethical dilemmas.