Researcher safety when studying social deviance or criminal behavior

---

Clarissa M Uttley and Patricia Brougham

Plymouth State University, USA

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

---

This study explored the utilization of safety precautions and their level of success for researchers studying social deviance or criminal behavior. The main purpose of this study was to discover what safety precautions are used by researchers engaged in the study of social deviance or criminal behavior, and which of those precautions are considered to be successful at reducing or eliminating risk. An online survey instrument was used to gather data from the sample (n=805) which included researchers who have conducted qualitative and/or quantitative fieldwork or non-fieldwork based research on the topic of social deviance or criminal behavior. The most frequently used safety precautions were: consider or discuss possible safety issues; dress for the environment; set limits and; develop a professional/social network of support. These four precautions were found to be very successful or better (Likert scale rating of 4 or higher) by the majority of respondents. Numerous charts and graphs will be used to present data from this study. Recent Publications: 1. Brougham P L and Uttley C M (2017) Risk for researchers studying social deviance or criminal behavior. Social Sciences 6(4).

Biography

---

Clarissa M. Uttley teaches courses on assessment and quantitative research at Plymouth State University. She previously worked in private preschools in Massachusetts with children from age 3 to 6 and their families. She has presented at numerous educational conferences including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO) annual conferences. Her work has been published in the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Journal of Emotional Abuse, and she continues to present her research for national and international audiences. cmuttley@plymouth.edu