As social science research knowledge has come to be viewed as a form of power, the influence of research sponsors has increased. The manipulative power of government agencies over criminological research, for example, has contributed to the technocratic character of the discipline, making it difficult to conduct research critical of the existing criminal justice system. Ethics regulations have apparently become a tool to justify repression of unwanted research. A sample of research ethical guideline documents shows commonalities in the areas of informed consent, confidentiality, and risks/benefits ratio. Ethical guidelines in these areas are used to reject sponsorship of research that focuses on criminal justice agencies, such as the police, which do not want to be critically examined. An independent and critical social science may require funding from sources other than agencies with vested interests in the status quo. Ten notes and 36 references are listed.