Abstract: Persons who are serving a sentence refer to those who are serving a sentence in a prison, Persons who are receiving reeducation through labour refer to those who are receiving reeducation through labour in an institution,for short, both are called persons who are serving a sentence or receiving reeducation through labour.Ethical justification for research involving this special group are as follow:specific IRB should include someone who has appropriate background and experience to serve in that capacity;the research might not equally well be carried out with subjects other than persons who are serving a sentence or receiving reeducation through labour;definition of minimal risk shouldn' t be compared with the risks normally encountered by this special group, but rather that of healthy persons;free choice in informed consent should be ensured;arrange treatment for research subjects after research terminated;fairly distribute research burdens;maintain confidentiality of research data and privacy;reasonable payment need to be considered, etc.

Key words: institutional review board, ethic review, persons who are serving a sentence or receiving reeducation through labour, informed consent