IS MY IDENTITY KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
Absolutely. The safety and confidentiality of study participants is the interviewers’ top priority. To that end, a careful set of protocols has been developed to guarantee the confidentiality of participants, and these protocols have undergone rigorous review by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The protocols are described in some of the questions answered on this page, and they are spelled out in detail in the Consent Form that will be reviewed with you when you enroll in the study. You are encouraged to review these protocols carefully, and to ask the interviewers any questions you may have.
if i participate by video conference, how will my identity be kept confidential?
When you click on the ‘Participate’ button to enroll in the study, you will be given four options for enrolling and participating in the study. With each of these options, you’ll find detailed information on how to protect your identity. If you conduct your interviews by online conferencing, the Doxy.me platform provides HIPAA-compliant privacy features to ensure your protection. You will be instructed not to use your real name in registering for your interview; you will also be advised not to mention your name, the names of your parish, diocese, bishop, or seminary, or any other identifying information in the course of your interview. Although the interviewers will see you, they do not know you, and so they cannot connect a name and a face. And while an audio recording will be made as the basis for a written transcript, no video recording will ever be made. In transcribing the audio tape, the researchers will remove any identifying information you may have inadvertently mentioned in your interview, and once the anonymized transcript is prepared, the audio recording will be destroyed. Any follow-up interviews that you care to do will always be initiated by you, since the interviewers will not know who you are unless you tell them. To further protect your privacy, you should conduct the interview(s) in a location where you cannot be seen or heard by others.
if i participate by telephone, how will my identity be kept confidential?
When you click on the ‘Participate’ button to enroll in the study, you will be directed to call a telephone number that is exclusively associated with this study. You will also be asked to block your telephone number when calling, by dialing *67 before you dial the study’s number. Although an audio recording will be made as the basis for a written transcript, the recording will be destroyed as soon as an anonymized transcript is made. If you have inadvertently mentioned any identifying information in the course of your interview, the researcher will remove that information in preparing the transcript. You should conduct your interview(s) in a location where you cannot be heard by others.
Can anything I say ever be reported?
The researchers hold your safety and confidentiality as their highest priority. And, of course, unless you reveal your identity on your own, they will not know who you are. That said, just as when you speak to a counselor, therapist, or other professional, if you reveal that you are continuing to engage in illegal behavior at the present time or that you intend to do so in the future, or if you tell the interviewers that you intend to harm yourself or others, the interviewers would be required by law to report this information to the appropriate authorities. You are, at all times, in full control of what you reveal.
Is this research sponsored or conducted by church officials?
No. All research conducted by or on behalf of the Dulles Research Institute is entirely independent of church institutions and hierarchy, so that it can remain free of institutional bias and ecclesiastical agendas. Study results will be published in the hopes that church decision-makers will be able to make use of our findings as they develop future policy, programs, and protocols. However, no raw study data or information about participants’ identities will ever be made available to bishops or church institutions. Furthermore, no bishops or church institutions have had input into the development of the study. Neither the Dulles Research Institute nor the researchers bear any animosity toward the Catholic Church; indeed, both groups sincerely hope that this research will be of great benefit to the church. However, independent pursuit of unbiased, agenda-free, evidence-based scholarly research is the unique gift the Dulles Research Institute makes to both church and society.
What is the role of the dulles research institute in this study?
The Dulles Research Institute has commissioned and funded this study, and its Senior Research Fellows and Board of Directors have approved the study design and the team of researchers. The DRI is posting this information to its website as a means of recruiting participants to the study. During the course of the study, the DRI may receive periodic updates on the progress of the research, but this will never include the identities of participants or any individuals’ responses. When the study is complete, the DRI will receive a written report of the study’s findings, and the DRI will be mentioned in publication of the study’s results in scholarly journals. The Dulles Research Institute has no preferences regarding the outcomes of this study; it has given no directions to the researchers concerning any preferred results; and it will have no influence on the conclusions reached by the researchers. The DRI is committed to releasing the study findings, whatever they may be. The DRI will never have access to identifying information about participants in this study.
What do I do if I have questions?
If you need more information before deciding to participate in this study, please reach out directly to the research team. You may email the researchers at: DullesInstituteSampleStudy@gmail.com. You may also phone the research team directly at (402) 619-3777.
2019-01. Study of accused priests
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of this study?
This study aims to garner insight into the root causes of the sexual abuse and harassment crisis, in the hope that this will provide for a better future. Specifically, the study seeks to understand how upbringing, education, seminary formation, perception of church teachings, and peer influences (among other factors) shape priests’ understandings of themselves and of sexuality. It is being conducted so that researchers may learn how personal, situational, and environmental factors may interact to influence sexual malfeasance among Catholic priests.
WHO MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY?
The study is limited to men who were ordained Roman Catholic priests and who were subsequently removed from active ministry as a result of an accusation of sexual misconduct. In order to qualify for the study, participants must have been removed from active ministry at least one year ago.
Do I have to be laicized in order to participate?
No. Participants may be laicized, assigned to a life of prayer and penance, permanently suspended, or otherwise sanctioned with removal from ministry, as long as the ecclesiastical sanction took place at least a year ago. You would not be eligible to participate in this study if you had an allegation of sexual malfeasance lodged against you but you were not removed from ministry as a result.
Do I have to have been arrested or sued to participate?
No. You may participate in this study whether or not you have been arrested or prosecuted, whether or not you have ever been incarcerated, and whether or not you have ever been involved in civil litigation. However, you may not participate in this study if you are currently incarcerated, as there would be no way to safeguard your confidentiality while you are in jail or in prison. You should also not participate in this study if you are currently involved in criminal prosecution.
Do I have to have been accused of a crime to participate?
No. If you have been removed from priestly ministry in the Catholic Church because you were accused of sexual malfeasance, you may participate in this study, regardless of whether the sexual malfeasance was with a minor or an adult, whether it was a contact or no-contact offense, and whether the alleged conduct was illegal in your jurisdiction or not.
why would i want to participate in this studY?
There are many reasons why you might choose to participate in the study, but probably the most important is that you can be a part of the solution! The sexual abuse and harassment crisis has wreaked havoc on the church, on our society, and on countless individual lives—your own, included. And although some progress has been made in creating a safer environment in the Catholic Church, there is still surprisingly little insight into the root causes of the crisis—leaving us vulnerable to more of this tragedy in the future. Your participation will help researchers piece together the factors that contributed to the crisis, enabling the church to make the kinds of changes that will give us hope for a better future. Beyond the help you will provide, you may find your participation to be good for you, as well. Although our researchers are not therapists, many participants in these types of studies find it is therapeutic for them to tell their story to a concerned, nonjudgmental listener. Many people who have been engaged in malfeasance find their participation acts as a kind of restitution, contributing to the healing process. For those who feel they have been unfairly treated, it is often helpful to be able to tell their stories. And the insights produced by this research may help participants to better understand the motivations and behaviors involved in sexual offending, and thus avoid malfeasance (and perhaps help others to do so) in the future.
Who conducts the interviews?
The interviews are conducted by Dr. Lisa L. Sample, a Criminologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and her associates, all of whom are CITI-certified social science researchers. The researchers from Sample and Associates LLC are conducting this study under approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Protocol #334-19-FB.
HOW ARE THE INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED?
The preferred method of interview is via secure web conference, using the HIPAA-compliant Doxy.me platform. The video platform allows both the interviewer and the participant to develop a more personal, comfortable connection and to read each other’s physical cues. For participants who cannot or who prefer not to be interviewed in a video conference, it is possible to conduct the web conference without enabling a webcam. It is also possible to conduct interviews by phone.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT OR SKILLS?
No. The video conference can be conducted from almost any computer, tablet, or smartphone that has access to the Internet, as long as it has a webcam, microphone, and speakers attached. Once in our Online Interview Room, you’ll click on the link, follow the prompts, and be connected to your meeting. To do a web interview without video, simply choose not to enable the webcam. If you prefer to do your interview by telephone, any telephone will do.
how many interviews will there be?
That’s entirely up to you. In order to protect your confidentiality, the researchers will never have your contact information, unless you choose to provide it to them. Therefore, you will need to initiate whatever email or phone contact takes place. Once the initial interview is completed, you will be welcome to contact the researchers for follow-up interviews, but you are never obligated to do so.
How much time will it take?
Your interview will last between one and three hours. Some participants may wish to reach out to the research team to schedule follow-up interviews at a later time, but that’s entirely up to you. At all times, the level of your participation is entirely your choice.
Do I have to participate in this study?
No. There will be no negative repercussions if you decide that you do not wish to participate in this study. And if you begin the study and decide, partway through it, that you want to end your participation, you may do so at any time.
Do I have to answer ALL of the interviewer’s questions?
No. The more information you provide, the more helpful your participation will be. However, you are under no obligation to answer any particular questions. If the researcher asks you a question that you do not wish to answer, just say so, and the researcher will move on to the next question..