BOP Program Statement 1075.01 § 2

a. Research is the systematic investigation, including research development, testing,

and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. This

includes but is not limited to evidence-based, methodological designs replicable and

intended to make or facilitate generalizations.

Alternatively, routine statistical tabulations and program reviews, typically performed by staff

for administrative purposes, are not considered research projects.

b. Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee which reviews and monitors research

and has membership requirements outlined below. The Bureau Research Review Board

(BRRB), located in the Central Office and managed by ORE, is an IRB. Some local

research review boards in Bureau institutions are IRBs if they meet the membership

requirements.

c. Local Research Review Board (LRRB) is an institutional review committee that

evaluates research proposals at specific institutions, enabling each facility to assess whether

the proposed project is feasible within its own environment and resources.

d. Minimal risk means the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in

the research is not greater in and of itself than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or

during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.

e. A researcher is a person who has met the qualifications of this program statement,

whether a BOP staff member, contractor, consultant, or other external party and has received

appropriate approval to conduct a research project within the Bureau.