A large controversy that has been brought to the attention of many people across the globe, is the topic of prisoners and medical research. Throughout history we see prisoners are used to test both harmless and harmful diseases for the sake of medical research. Although its seems like it's a good idea of used those who wronged the public, but the methods used to conduct these studies are quite the opposite of harmless. In history a great example of this is the Nuremberg Trials during World War II when Nazi doctors wrongfully tested on Jewish inmates. Prisoners should not be allowed to participate in medical research because they are unable to understand consent forms, they are considered a vulnerable population and they are sometimes tested unethically. …show more content…
One argument that is made is that the prisoners are given consent forms the sign.
Which is true most of the time however even then there is a flaw. Most prisoners are considered illiterate because since they have been away from society for so long they lose the ability to be exposed to higher education. Although that seems unimportant, it leads to the point that most prisoners would not even understand what the consent form even said. Not only that but giving the prisoners a consent form to sign is really only a new practice. According to the article referring to the ethics of medical testing “it was deemed acceptable to experiment on people without their consent and even deliberately give them terrible diseases and then study their progress rather than cure them.” (Thompson, 1). This quote directly correlates that at one time prisoners were not even given a consent form to “read” though. But looking at this you can see why someone would argue that prisoners should not be allowed to partake in medical research. PRisoners have been treated this way for years yet it has really only been the past five or six years that anyone has acted against the unethical treatment of
prisoners. Another argument people make that support that prisoners should not be used in medical research is that they are considered a vulnerable population. Prisons across the country are not in the most sanitary condition. With the injection of harmful diseases or viruses other inmates can become exposed to the viruses. Since prisoners aren’t able to just go and find a lawyer or consult a professional doctor scientist are relatively safe to perform any form of testing that they want without being pushed too hard for an reason as to why they are doing those tests. Also, unfortunately, its not to shocking to hear that the most vulnerable, are minors. Harriet Washington, author of Human Guinea Pigs, exclaims that “On the one hand, there is a lot of evidence that minorities have been exploited”(2) Would allowing the permission to do medical research on prisoners, also allow researchers to perform tests on juveniles? So if medical research uses prisoners, there does have to be some restrictions. But even then it leads into one of the strongest arguments out there.
These are, however, similar to how Josef Mengele experimented on captives without their consent. Many did think it was right, but it is now thought taking cells without consent is morally wrong. Scientists are much better at this now. It is important to understand how far the world has come medically. Works Cited "Immortal" Law and Order.
The experiment lasted more than forty years and did not garner media attention until 1972, when it was finally made public by Jean Heller of the Associated Press to an outraged nation. The fact that a medical practitioner would knowingly violate an individual’s rights makes one question their bioethical practices. What gives doctors the right to make a human being a lab rat? When both of these case studies began in the earlier half of the 20th century, African Americans were still fighting for the most
This video helped me to realize just how important the Belmont Report truly is. It is crucial in protecting all research participants from any form of harm that was previously imposed on research participants. The study that bothered me the most was the Standford Prison Experiment. This experiment really bothered me because some of the participants experienced physical harm. The experiment involved two groups of research participants. The first group acted as the guards of the simulated prison. The second group acted as the prisoners. This experiment violated many ethical principles such as beneficence and respect for persons. Beneficence was violated because the prisoners were being subjected to very brutal conditions because the guards were
I whole heartedly believe we are too soft on offenders in the US. You know the old saying, I would never want to be in prison in Mexico, or any Latin country for that matter. Well, there is a reason for that. It is not a safe and pleasurable place to be. Per a poll on Gallup, when asked if our US criminal justice system was too soft, “a firm majority (65%) said that the criminal justice system is "not tough enough" on crime. 26% said the system is "about right," and just 6% said it is "too tough" (Kiefer, 2004).
“FREEZE! Get on the ground”! All the words someone running from the police hears. He fears their presence because he knows that if he is caught he will be sent to one of the many overpopulated prisons in America. There he will struggle with doing everyday tasks due to the enormous numbers located within the prison walls. Prison overpopulation should be an utmost priority on every individuals concerns due to the fact that with this massive increase it negatively affects our legal, social, and economic environment.
In the United States, the basis for ethical protection for human research subjects in clinical research trials are outlined by the Belmont Report developed in the late 1970’s. This document, published by the Nation Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, highlights three important basic principles that are to be considered when any clinical trial will involve human research subjects. They are; respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. (Chadwick & Gunn, 2004)
One major flaw in the ethics of the Stanford Prison Experiment was Zimbardos involvement as the warden. He was involved in the experiment yet he was overlooking the entire event as well. There was no one who was impartial with no emotional or psychical involvement in the actual experiment. This caused Zimbardo to not judge the situation in an ethical way and see that the treatment of the poisoners was not okay. One thing that Zimbardo did ethically was he did not permit physical violence in this experiment and released the people playing the prisoners when they reached extreme distress. I would say that the Stanford Prison Experiment was not ethical due to many factors. The lack of separation between warden and researcher caused Zimbardo’s
for youngsters who have a long history of convictions for less serious felonies for which the juvenile court disposition has not been effective” (qtd. in Katel).
What is education? Should education be limited to those who are free in society and not locked up behind bars? Education is a broad term which can be interpreted in many different ways, however , it is typically defined as the action or process of teaching , especially in a school, university,or college. As we seek to refine and reform education we must understand that education expands much farther than just the classroom. For instance education in jail, it 's a gateway for prisoners to come out as a new person and have a different view on life For example Malcolm X. Also it 's less likely for a prisoner to reoffend because they 're more likely to get a job with degree they earn while being incarcerated . Also this can help save tax money.
Many people believe that prisoner’s do not deserve proper health care simply because they are criminals. That thought can be very damaging to not only the prisoners but also members of society. What people with that mindset fail to realize, is that most prisoners will eventually be released from jail and once again be a part of the community. In fact, in 2012 alone, a total of 637,411 inmates were released from U.S prisons (Carson, Golinelli & BJS Statisticians, 2014). If ex-convicts do not receive proper care while they’re serving their sentence, their issues will continue to follow them as they try to become an active member of society. It is difficult enough to try and better oneself in today’s world, let alone if you’re an ex-convict with
In December 1946, the War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremberg indicted 20 Nazi physicians and 3 administrators for their willing participation in carrying out the harmful research on unwilling human subjects. Thus, Nuremberg code was the first international code for the ethics to be followed during human subject research. It was permissible medical experiments implemented in August 1947. The code also provides few directives for clinical trials (3). Syphilis study at Tuskegee in 1974 was the most influential event that led to the HHS Policy for Protecti...
Prisons spend a lot of time and money in treating their patients for their disorder. In particular, the documentary, Prison State, exemplifies a convict,
...to find out something when they use children. The Tuskegee experiment exhibit how cruel researcher can also be, and how racial society was in 1932. The experiments show what can happen without regulations. There should be values and regulations to guide research in these experiments. Concluding, some experiments have the tendency to destroy the lives of the humans that have been experimented on.
This paper examines the phenomenon of the most commons infectious Diseases in Prison/Jails which is one of the most significant controversies in our correctional systems. HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis (C, B, D, and A), and Tuberculosis are most like to appear in prison than the general population. Half of all the inmates have a history of being infected either with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C or Tuberculosis; this paper Explains how diseases are transmitted from one inmate to the others, and some technical use in prison to prevent infectious diseases from spreading to the general prison population. The study suggests that medical care provided to inmate must be adequate, inmates and prison staff should be given more medical attention, they need to get tested before entering to prison and before releasing from prison because it is a risk for both correctional systems and the outside world.
As the medical community works tirelessly to find cures for some of the world’s most deadly diseases, the use of new technology has propelled them to life-saving discoveries, allowing research and testing without actual test subjects. These cures come in the form of medications and treatments that can take years if not decades of development simply to get them ready to be tested. While some of this research is done without any test subjects, many researchers still employ a method that has been used for centuries: testing on animals. The ethics of this method has been the subject of controversy for almost as long as its use and has been a catalyst for discussion, both sides believing themselves to be right.