One thing I noticed in the article was your observation that some prisoners are very smart. Although that's true, smart people in prison are outliers to a much greater degree than on the outside. (Real life example (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/24930.html).) Most people in prison range between everyday-dumb and retarded. Any consideration of experimental consent dealing with prisoners needs to be aware of that, on top of the obvious issues of how fair it is to recognize consent from a person under the control of imprisonment. In other words, one not only has to address the question, "did he sign because he agreed or because he felt compelled because he's in prison?" One also has to ask, "did he have the slightest understanding of the agreement?"
Alex in A Clockwork Orange was a very intelligent character. () But did he know what he was getting into when he agreed to the experiment? (On the other hand, did the scientists experimenting on him understand what would happen?) How much of his agreement to the experiments come from willingness to go through the treatment, as opposed to desire to do anything to get out of the prison's general population? ()
Since I haven't read your story past the teasers yet, I don't know whether this enters into it. But it's something to consider if you use prison experimentation as a story element.
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Date: Sat, Jan. 19th, 2008 02:16 am (UTC)Alex in A Clockwork Orange was a very intelligent character. () But did he know what he was getting into when he agreed to the experiment? (On the other hand, did the scientists experimenting on him understand what would happen?) How much of his agreement to the experiments come from willingness to go through the treatment, as opposed to desire to do anything to get out of the prison's general population? ()
Since I haven't read your story past the teasers yet, I don't know whether this enters into it. But it's something to consider if you use prison experimentation as a story element.