functions, interfering with drug action.
Prisoners’ consent is likely to be coerced. They might
be forced by jail officials to consent, or might be lured
by promises of better food or just another good cot to
sleep.
The expenditure of pharmaceutical companies would
increase significantly because of more paperwork, trans-
portation fares to bring prisoners to the laboratories and
hiring security personnel. Also, there is always a possibility
of prisoners trying to escape or harm the investigators.
In spite of all these reasons, we must not exclude pris-
oners from research. Due to both rational and irrational
fears, the general public is now reluctant to participate in
clinical trials. As compared to the general public, prison-
ers could be assembled and easily counseled to remove
all the doubts and fear from their mind. Prisons have a
high proportion of minority groups like prostitutes, drug
abusers etc. which are generally difficult to find in normal
studies. By studying the minority groups, the research will
become more extensive. Also, involving prisoners in clin-
ical trials would help them getting a medical intervention
if needed, which is usually not present in prison hospitals.
Philosophically speaking, the convicts were imprisoned
to reform them so that they could become a useful part
of society. By participating in clinical trials, they get an op-
portunity to help the society.
India and other developing countries should formulate
guidelines on clinical trials in prisoners, taking help of the
Nuremberg code, European Union guidelines etc. A list
of permitted and prohibited clinical trials should be made.
The individuals who are detained pending trial should
be excluded as they might come out acquitted while the