Exposing the Truth Behind the Stanford Prison Experiment

In 1971 Philiip Zimbardo, a Stanford University professor, designed an experiment to study human behaviors in the prison system. He sought to understand the effectiveness of the prison system, however, the experiment ended early due to the ethical concerns toward participants. It is considered one of the most important psychological experiments, not for what it helped reform, but for what it pointed out about the importance of safety for research participants. Calling upon primary sources from participants and the researchers’ findings, as well as secondary sources primarily from psychologists and research ethics, the research reveals that this study was unreliable due to the significant flaws in its design. This paper argues that the Stanford Prison Experiment should not be used as a tool for understanding the prison system, but rather as an example of how lack of oversight compromises scientific findings. This experiment demonstrates the necessity for safety and ethical protocol for research participants, serving better as a cautionary tale for the responsibility of scientists. Part of the panel: Crime and Punishment Moderator: Brenda Frink