Sure. It is well known that prisons have been seen as “black boxes” because of their inaccessibility to evaluators. To create a gateway through the institution’s wall, the evaluator must establish a close connection with the prison’s liaison officer or, according to the participatory approach, with a “competent player” who had experienced events from the inside and is knowledgeable about technical and ethical considerations related to the environment. This agent becomes the evaluator’s public relations contact, acting as a guide through the intricacies of the environment and making it possible to avoid blunders that can sometimes mean the end of a project. Such contact also helps the evaluator gain the trust and cooperation of the prison staff and gives legitimacy to the project. Taking the most inclusive perspective possible, Apa et al. (2012) believe that, depending on the nature of the project, the role of liaison officer was fillable by a prisoner who is respected by his peers. Trulson et al. (2004) suggest various tricks to maintain this vital relationship: organize informal activities involving the liaison officer, participate in off-campus activities with him/her, and regularly express appreciation of his/her work. As some practical suggestions, you may consider sponsoring informal lunches to learn the liaison officers’ perceptions of the progress of the research, sending greeting cards and small gifts at Christmas time to show your appreciation, inviting the liaison officer as a presenter in talks given at various conventions/conferences, and regularly mentioning the outstanding contributions of prison staff involved in your evaluations during talks and public events.
For more information, you may search for the below:
Apa, Z. L., Bai, R. Y., Mukherejee, D. V., Herzig, C. T. A., Koenigsmann, C., Lowy, F. D., & Larson, E.L . ( 2012 ). Challenges and strategies for research in prisons. Public Health Nursing (Boston, Mass.), 29 ( 5 ), 467 – 472 . http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1446.2012.01027.x
Trulson, C. R. M., Marquart, J. W., & Mullings, J. L. ( 2004 ). Breaking in: Gaining entry to prisons and other hard-to-access criminal justice organizations. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 15 ( 2 ), 451 – 478 . http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10511250400086071
