Vulnerability:
General Overview:
The CIOMS (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences) International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research define ‘vulnerable person,’ as “those who are relatively (or absolutely) incapable of protecting their own interests. More formally, they may have insufficient power, intelligence, education, resources, strength, or other needed attributes to protect their own interests” (Straus 3). |
Prison Context:
Due to the coercive environments of prisons, it is widely believed that prisoners are considered to be a vulnerable population. Margaret O Hayes contextualizes the definition of vulnerability within the prison population and describes how, “the power imbalance inherent in this type of relationship makes the potential for abuse during the informed consent process immense” (Hayes 85). These individuals are highly susceptible to exploitation and abuse as they are unable to advocate for themselves because of their disadvantaged position. We will see later on the different legal mechanisms instituted to ensure that vulnerable populations, like prisoners, are not taken advantage of in biomedical research. |