Hi, friend! Thank you for your previous explanation! I now understand that the many cases of abuse of the past have resulted in the prison population becoming a protected group that is very difficult to access. May I further ask you a clue about the confidentiality of the program evaluation in prison? Anything special?

No problem.

Thanks!

The prison population is extremely concerned with confidentiality issues, as a breach of confidentiality could have serious consequences. For instance, one of the barriers identified for evaluations in the prison context is the difficulty of ensuring confidentiality because everyone in the prison quickly knows the nature of the research and which inmates have met with the researchers. Meanwhile, imprisonment always leads to a significant decrease in respect for the prisoners’ rights to privacy and confidentiality. The issue of confidentiality can also arise due to the nature of the confidences that are collected as part of the research. Like clinicians, evaluators in prisons may receive confidences that can cause them to wonder about the need to breach confidentiality. Besides, some scholars believe that guaranteeing confidentiality in a context where one is likely to receive sensitive information is an attack on the dignity of the participants. It is therefore imperative that the researcher properly establish the boundaries within which confidentiality can be maintained, especially when the consent form is being signed.