SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS CHAPTER 3; REG NO: 2021-B411-11713.

STDNT NO: 2100501713.

3.1 INTRODUCION;

This chapter requires the researcher to inform of a specific or series of analogy attached to their

research. This is known as methodology which shows how a researcher will conduct their

findings. Methodology includes a description of the research design, research area, research

population, sampling techniques, sample size, data collection, data sources, research limitations

as well as ethical considerations of research as stressed below; and how, where, when and who

will conduct the study.

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN;

This study will be conducted through a case study design and this design is where the

researcher makes an intensive, descriptive and holistic analysis of a single phenomenon. The

researcher choses this design because of its explicit nature which studies a single entity in

depth in order to gain insight into larger cases; it describes and explains rather than predict a

phenomenon. This survey method will enable the researcher to determine the roles played by

Ugandan Government Organizations such as Uganda Human Rights Commission through

the Human Right’s Network in ensuring the protection and promotion of prisoner’s rights in

Uganda more so Luzira Murchison Bay and this will enable the research assess whether

prisoner’s rights are respected and instilled by the ruling authority and also tends to address

and expose hidden injustices, miseries and tragedies faced by prisoners who are confined in

prison localities to the exclusion of society. This research design will enable the researcher to

understand the various procedures these Ugandan Government Organizations undertake in

successfully ensuring the implementation and enjoyment of prisoner’s and how prisoner’s

outcries are catered for by the responsible governing bodies. This design will enable the

research trace deeper the root causes of injustice in prisons, mistreatment of prisoners, in

mate bullying and other vices that are not visible on the face value of it. The justification of

this study is to understand larger cases which arise from smaller cases which will be assessed

from the data collection from targeted groups which makes my proposal an extensive global

outcry for outreach to these class of people segregated by society.

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3.3 RESEARCH AREA.

The study will be conducted by the researcher in the parts of Uganda that constitute major

prison facilities; Luzira Murchison Bay, Kampala Remand Prison, Buyende prison etc. it will

constitute various aid from personnel’s from Uganda Human Right’s Agencies such as the

Human Rights Network-Uganda, Uganda Human Right’s Commission and also authorities
from the Uganda Prison Service as well as residents who live in these regions encompassed

with prisons. This study will involve interviews addressed to the Ministry of Internal affairs

concerning the prisoner’s welfare since its mission is “to contribute to the protection and

development of society by providing safe, secure and humane custody of offenders while
placing human rights at the center of their correctional programmes.” The study will help
the researcher understand the measures, precautions taken by this ministry through the

Uganda Prison Service in ensuring the enjoyment, protection and promotion of prisoner’s

welfare in Uganda despite their criminal reputation that seems to justify the degrading in-

humane conditions that they undergo. The researcher conducted the research in prison

facilities due to increased cases of miscarriage of justice reported in courts resulting into

sentencing of innocent victims, reports from the United Nations Watch Report concerning

prisoner’s right’s abuse and also extensive social media platforms such as WhatsApp,

Facebook, twitter which have co-currently over the years addressed the ‘evils’ held in prison.

The Ministry of Internal affairs located along Jinja Road, opposite meat parkers plot 75 and

other relevant authorities concerning my case study are in close proximity to each other

making it easier and affordable in terms of expenses and costs.

3.4 RESEARCH POPULATION;

This study will be conducted mainly in Uganda targeting the top detention facilities in the

country most importantly Luzira Murchison Bay’s in-mates, the Prison authorities, prison

wardens, neighboring residents and any other available personnel’s who may be subject to

scrutiny and criticism to get a balanced result from the research. The justifications for such

populations more so the inmates are that these categories of people having understood and

lived in communities with prisons are presented with a front line of in-depth knowledge that

is rarely known to the communities especially those without prison detention facilities and
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this builds my research proposal as it opens up a quorum for an outreach to understand, care

and decipher these prisoner’s attributes rather than shun them from society.

3.5 SAMPLE SIZE.

The sample size will consist of 44 respondents selected from the various targeted groups that

is to say; 4 top personnel’s from the Uganda Human Rights Commission; 2 males and 2

females, 4 top officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs; 3 males and 1 female, 6

officials from the Uganda Prison Service; 1 male prison spokesman, and 5 prison wardens; 3

females and 2 males, 20 prisoners; 12 males and 8 females and finally 10 residents within the

prison’s proximity; 5males and 5 females. The researcher will imply this sample size in

chorus to the Latin maxim, Audi alter am partum, which simply means in simple terms listen

to the other side which will enable the researcher decipher and depict the injustices herein

attached to prisons and in prisons and also seeks to show the community that not all prisoners

are truculent thus the neutrality of the gist is to ensure all prisoners welfare in most parts of

Uganda is sufficiently maintained.

3.6 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE.

The study will apply a probability sampling technique which includes simple random sampling

and cluster sampling techniques. The simple random sampling technique will be used to select

various authorities to the cause from the targeted groups to provide the information concerning

the study since it eliminates bias from the selected group. The justification of this technique is

that it ensures freedom of expression and speech thus according each individual an opportunity

of being included in the sample thus promoting correlation amongst individuals and eliminating

segregation grounds of any sort. The cluster sampling technique will be employed for ultimately

larger groups such as the prison in-mates and other related authorities. The justification of this

method is that it is time saving and cheap in terms of providing materials for a sustainable

research proposal.
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3.7 DATA SOURCES.

The sources used by the researcher in this study are both primary and secondary sources. The

primary source key components involved interviews with the top officials in various

government organizations such as the Uganda Human Right’s Commission, Ministry of

Internal Affairs and the Uganda Prison Service. Interactions with various prison in-mates
was also conducted since they are the victims of the cause which greatly contributed to my

research proposal. The researcher also used secondary sources such as the HUMAN RIGHTS

WATCH PRISON REPORT 2023, SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS REPORTING PRISONER,

RIGHTS ABUSE SUCH AS TWITTER, STATUTES; HUMAN RIGHTS
ENFORCEMENT ACT 2019 AND THE 1995 UGANDAN CONSTITUTION.

3.8 DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS.

According to my study, Questionnaires, interviews and document analysis will be used as

main tools for collecting data. The selection of these tools have been guided by the nature of

the data collected, the time available as well as by the objectives of the study. The overall

aim of the study is to decipher prisoner’s rights in various prisons in Uganda and ascertain to

what extent the prisoner’s welfare has been maintained. The researcher is mainly concerned

with the views, opinions, perceptions, feelings and attitudes of the communities consisting of

prison facilities and also the prisoners of which such information can be best collected

through the use of questionnaire and interview techniques (Bell, 1993; Touliatos & Compton,

1998. Document analysis technique will be used to obtain data to track the consistent

monitoring of prisoner’s rights over the years.

DATA COLLECTION USING THE METHOD OF OBSERVATION; This will enable the
researcher gain firsthand experience, record information as it occurs and also explore topics

that are uncomfortable to informants and in so doing the research shall reveal the in-depth

vices, injustices and tragedies faced by the prisoners which are secret to societal concerns

and also provide a platform for the prisoners to air out their concerns in relation to the

preservation of their rights. The authenticity of this this mode of data collection shall be

determined by the conduct and behavior of the various targeted groups mentioned above.
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DATA COLLECTION BY MODE OF INTERVIEWS; This is a mode of data collection

in which the researcher asks persons or groups of people questions intended to elicit information

or opinions. This mode of data collection allows the researcher to collect information that cannot

be directly observed or are difficult to put down in writing and also capture the meanings beyond

words. This subsequently allows the researcher to obtain information that cannot be directly

observed and also help him/ her gain control over the line of questioning. The researcher is to

conduct one on one interviews with prisoners concerning their outcry and how much of the

prisoner’s rights have been abused.

DATA COLLECTION BY MODE OF QUESTIONNAIRES; The efficacy of this mode of data

collection is that a researcher is able to collect a lot of information over a short period of time.

This will certainly raise questions concerning the prisoner’s welfare such as what roles have the

Ugandan Government Organizations played in ensuring the protection and promotion of

prisoner’s rights in Uganda? How has the Uganda Prison Service catered for these prisoners

whose enjoyment of Human Right’s has been infringed on? To what extent has the Uganda

Human Rights Commission made a positive impact towards the eradication abuse of prisoner’s

rights today especially Prisoners of Luzira Murchison Bay and also find out Why are there still

rampant cases of abuse of prisoner’s rights today.

3.9 DATA ANALYSIS; In this study, the independent variables are continuous while the
dependent variable is categorical being it so as prisoners are shunned by society. This will be

suitable to analyze data using content analysis which is a method used to chronologically

summarize data in a qualitative way which transforms large amounts of texts into a precise

and concise summary of the outcome. Content sources include texts, interviews, transcripts,

films, videos, cassettes and tape recordings in which the researcher examines the meaning,

relationship of words and concepts about culture, data or responses from the respondents.

The mode and procedure of conducting this data analysis is as follows; [i] identify and

collect data through interviews, observations, questionnaires and any other relevant

materials. [ii] determine the coding categories and this is done through observation i.e. the

researcher can assess the roles played by the Uganda Prison Service in ensuring the

promotion and protection of prisoner’s rights. [iii] checking the validity and reliability of the
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research and this is done by examining the sample chosen for analysis and reliable

information. [iv] Analyse and present the results of the research and this is done to ensure

that the informants decipher the study and provide a proposed frontline to address the

unknown tragedies that are faced by these prisoners. This data analysis helps the researcher

carry out their research on a subjective front as they directly interact with these prisoners

personally and also eliminates unhinged scrutiny from the general public which perceives the

worst of these individuals.

3.10 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS;

The major limitation of this research is that the researcher excluded most of the prison

facilities situated in different parts of Uganda such as Masindi Prison, Nkozi Prison etc. but

the study major focused on the prisoners of Luzira Murchison Bay as it is the top detention

facility of the country. The justification for this research limitation major centered along the

sparse population of prisons in the country and the researcher finds it abit difficult to collect

data from these various prison facilities as there will be difference in opinions, interference

of the dependent and independent variables and the researcher also using case study design

narrows down the research from quantitative to qualitative and efficient which could help the

country through its various bodies in charge of prisoner’s rights to successfully advocate for

the promotion and protection of prisoner’s right’s in Uganda.

However, these limitations should not limit proposed researchers from learning and adding to

my proposal as we all seek for a better life for each individual most especially prisoners who

due to their sentences have lost most of their incomes, families etc. and therefore deserve

recompense in the form of protection of their dignity and fundamental right to life alongside

their right’s.

3.11 ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH;

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These are very vital and guides the researcher along the course of carrying out their study

and findings and despite the high value of knowledge gained through research, knowledge

cannot be pursued at the expense of human dignity thus a researcher should describe how he or

she will ensure that the ethical requirements are upheld in the study.

The basis on the fundamentality of the protection of prisoner’s right sprouted forth following the

proviso of the 1995 UGANDAN CONSTITUTION AS AMENDED; ARTICLE 43 & ARTICLE

44 which advocates for the protection of every individual’s fundamental right’s inclusive

prisoners and goes ahead to state that no person shall be subjected to inhumane, cruel or

degrading punishment which is solely the gist of my research.