1. AUTHORITY

   Ohio Revised Code 5120.01 authorizes the Director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, as the executive head of the department, to direct the total operations and management of the department by establishing procedures as set forth in this policy.

   
   

2. ‌PURPOSE

   
   

   The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures that authorize and encourage research and evaluation in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC).

   
   

3. ‌APPLICABILITY

   
   

   This policy applies to all DRC employees, all persons under contract, and all persons not employed by or not under contract with the DRC who wish to conduct research within the department.

   
   

4. ‌DEFINITIONS

   
   

   The definitions for the terms below can be found at the top of the policies page on the DRC Intranet/Internet.

   Definitions Link

   • Confidentiality

   • Human Subjects Research Review Committee

   • Research

     
     

5. POLICY

   
   

   It is the policy of the DRC to encourage the development of criminal justice knowledge through research. The DRC shall actively support outside researchers who request to conduct any research. The DRC’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee shall encourage and facilitate reasonable research efforts by individuals from outside the DRC and shall review all research proposals to determine compliance with departmental standards. The participation of persons under the jurisdiction of the DRC in medical or pharmaceutical research projects shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with state and federal guidelines. In rare and exigent circumstances, the Office of Correctional Health Care may authorize experimental treatments for an incarcerated person (IP) on a case-by-case basis utilizing appropriate institutional reporting and documentation of the case. The DRC shall pursue and support research by its own staff for the improvement of the DRC, for more successful accomplishment of departmental goals, and for the improvement of society and the criminal justice system.

   
   

6. PROCEDURES

1. The DRC shall create and maintain a capacity to conduct internal research studies (e.g., descriptive, evaluative) and provide information and guidance to those who need to develop or improve practices and policies. This capacity shall reside primarily in the Bureau of Research and Evaluation which holds a permanent status in DRC. The capacity shall be balanced between an ability to provide short-term, immediate assistance to decision makers in the DRC and an ability to systematically identify and support key departmental needs for which research can be usefully conducted and to conduct that research.

   
   

2. Any research project conducted using information from the DRC concerning IPs, persons on parole or post-release control or others under the jurisdiction of the DRC will adhere to generally accepted standards of confidentiality of the subjects’ identity.

   
   

3. Information may be provided for departmental managers with emphasis on the following:

   
   

   1. How to develop programmatic planning concepts in terms of program outcome and the record keeping necessary to measure performance.

   2. How to set up record keeping practices that will allow program managers to assess their own programs and performance.

      
      

4. The DRC shall encourage the development of relationships with outside researchers to further criminal justice research and knowledge including:

   
   

   1. Participation in major national efforts to develop comparable data among jurisdictions.

      
      

   2. Completion of surveys received from individuals or organizations; surveys shall be approved if it is determined that the information to be gained is sufficiently beneficial to counter the level of difficulty of the survey itself.

   3. Encouragement of outside researchers to approach the DRC with research proposals that relate to criminal justice.

      
      

5. All requests for research to be conducted by outside researchers and certain requests from researchers within the DRC must be submitted to the DRC’s Human Subjects Research Review Committee for review and approval. The procedures followed by this committee are detailed in DRC Policy 06-RES-02, Human Subjects Research. The Bureau of Research and Evaluation chief, in consultation with the Human Subjects Research Review Committee chair, will determine whether research requests from external stakeholders, governmental agencies, or research/policy organizations require review under DRC Policy 06-RES-02, Human Subjects Research.

   
   

6. Articles for publication and/or research for public presentation generated by employees within the Bureau of Research and Evaluation shall be reviewed and approved by an appropriate deputy director before publication and/or presentation and follow requirements outlined in DRC Policy 01-COM-12, ODRC Public Relations.

   
   

7. Any DRC employee may suggest topics for research by departmental researchers. Projects that meet the definition of research as defined above should be routed through the suggester’s deputy director for concurrence and then to the Bureau of Research and Evaluation.

DRC Referenced Policies:

01-COM-12 ODRC Public Relations

06-RES-02 Human Subjects Research