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Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

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Page 1: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture

Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Page 2: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

American Perspectives on Torture

(Yougov.com, 2012)

Page 3: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Do you feel that torture is justifiable?

Do you feel that these statistics accurately reflect the American viewpoint now?

Discussion Question

Page 4: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

A time bomb is located in a major city. A suspect in custody knows where the bomb is located, but will not talk.

Would you support torturing the suspect to find information that would save lives?

If so, what would you do? If not, why?

(Opotow, 2007)

Discussion-“Ticking Bomb” Scenario

Page 5: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Torture the act of causing severe physical pain as a

form of punishment or as a way to force someone to do or say something

Interrogation To question formally and systematically

What is Torture?

(Abeles, 2010; The Torture Question, 2005)

Page 6: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Military Psychology Branch of psychology responsible for

understanding, predicting, and countering behaviors of enemy or friendly forces or civilian populations that are considered undesirable

Gain as much information from the subject as possible through non-invasive means without violating rules of engagement

Overview

(DeClue, 2010; Soldz, 2010)

Page 7: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Standard interrogation techniques (SITs) Techniques used to illicit information from an

individual over the course of a few days such as sleep deprivation

Enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) Other techniques that are used to illicit

immediate responses from the individual such as water boarding

Approved by the Department of Justice and the CIA

Stress positions, water boarding and others

Overview

(Abeles, 2010; Cheney, 2009)

Page 8: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Unlawful Combatants Any person who engages directly in armed

conflict violating the laws war Prisoners of War

Any person being held captive by an enemy organization or military group

Unlawful Combatants or POWs?

(Abeles, 2010; The Torture Question, 2005)

Page 9: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Reasons for torture Obtaining a confession Punishment Intimidation to act in specific ways Destroy victim psychologically Induce helplessness

Goals of Torture

(Arrigo, & Wagner 2007).

Page 10: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Corporal punishment Humiliation Suspension Burning Electrical injuries Asphyxiation Sexual assault

Previous forms of torture

(Abeles, 2010)

Page 11: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

A complex phenomenon that can damage a person’s Personality Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral

functioning Social relationship Autonomy

Can cause a wide range of psychological problems

Psychological Consequences of Torture

(Blakely, 2011)

Page 12: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Maintain civility Ensure safety of detainees Reduce local, national, and/or international

criminal behavior Information is extremely time-sensitive Can stop or prevent future terror attacks

Benefits of Psychologists in Torture

(Rockwood, 2010)

Page 13: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

2005 – APA board endorsed psychologists’ role in interrogations as consistent with APA ethics

2007 – APA board forbid members involvement in a number of interrogation tactics

2008 – the organization passed a resolution against members’ presence at any facility where U.S. and international law was being violated

The Debate Among Psychologists

(Clarkson, 2009)

Page 14: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

3.04 3.08 3.09

American Psychological Association

1.02 1.03 1.05

(The Torture Question)

Page 15: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS)

Engagement Knowledge Health-care

Information Actions that violate

laws Clarification of roles Differing Agendas

Different roles Mindful of detainees Limits of

confidentiality Actions beyond

competencies Retain ethical

obligations Report ethical

dilemmas(Carr, 2007)

Page 16: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Torture clearly violates a person’s rights and should only be used in extreme cases

Psychologists are necessary to prevent serious harm to detainees in such situations

Harming someone is always wrong The general will outweighs the individual will

Ethics

(Abeles, 2010)

Page 17: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Defined: The belief that a morally good action is one

that helps the greatest number of people

The Trolley Problem What would you do?

Ethics: Utilitarianism

(Suefeld, 2007)

Page 18: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Four treaties and three additional protocols establishing the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war

Unlawful combatants are not protected by the Geneva Convention

These civilians or military personnel that directly engage in armed conflict in violation of the laws of war

Geneva Convention, 1949

(Bothe, Partsch, & Solf, 1982)

Page 19: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Justice Department and the White House International laws against torture

“unconstitutional when applied to interrogations” President directed military to treat them

humanely A total of 35 techniques used and at least 24 were

approved Priest, D. & Smith, R.J. (2002)

Memo for torture at Guantanamo

Page 20: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Ethics class given quiz with 4 answers on how to respond to terrorist attacks

More than 75% said they would chose options A and D

In 2002, a survey found that 42% Americans surveyed favored torture

(Luban, 2005)

After 9/11 on torture

Page 21: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Codified legal definitions of this term and invested POTUS with broad discretion to determine whether a person may be designated an unlawful enemy combatant

Organizations or people that violate international law via war crimes are not protected by the Geneva Convention or international law

Military Commissions Act, 2006

(Arrigo & Wagner, 2007)

Page 22: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Should terrorists be protected by international law despite their organizations involvement?

How far is to far when getting information from a detainee?

Is violating the rights of one person beneficial if it has the potential to save countless lives?

Discussion Question

(The Torture Question)

Page 23: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Do these people deserve to be treated fairly?

What would you do to prevent something terrible from happening to your home town?

How would you treat someone that has mistreated you terribly for instance murdered a close family member?

Discussion Question

(The Torture Question)

Page 24: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

The Stanford Prison Experiment and Abu Ghraib: Two Studies in Human Nature

Video

Page 25: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Took place in 1971 Young men were divided into roles of

Prisoner and Guard and were put into a prison-like environment

Was supposed to last 2 weeks but had to be terminated after 6 days

Provided a graphic illustration of the power of situations to shape individuals’ behavior

The Stanford Prison Experiment

(The Stanford Prison Experiment, 2008)

Page 26: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Dean, School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University

Was awarded the Bronze Star and the Defense Superior Service Medal

Served as Chair, Department of Psychology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center while on active duty

Was sent to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay

Wrote “Fixing Hell” about his experiences

Retired Colonel Larry C. James

(Wright.edu, 2011)

Page 27: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Factors that were attributed to the behavior of soldiers/interrogators: Lack of supervision Young soldiers had no training Soldiers were frustrated and scared which

affected their dispositions and composure Soldiers themselves needed mental health

assistance No clear cut directions were posted

“Fixing Hell”

(James, 2008)

Page 28: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

Utilitarianism It is likely to happen anyways, why not control

it? Why do psychologists need to be involved?

Prevention of interrogations going to far Ethical responsibility of controlling outcomes of

the interrogations

Summary

Page 29: Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See

References "36% Favor, 38% Oppose Using Torture on Terror Suspects." YouGov: What the World Thinks. N.p., 11 May 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. Abeles, N. (2010). Ethics and the Interrogation of Prisoners: An Update. Ethics & Behavior, 20(3/4), 243-249. doi:10.1080/10508421003798976 Arrigo, J. M., & Wagner, R. V. (2007). Psychologists and Military Interrogators Rethink the Psychology of Torture. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace

Psychology, 13(4), 393-398. doi: Behnke, S. H., & Koocher, G. P. (2007). Commentary on “Psychologists and the Use of Torture in Interrogations”. Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy,

7(1), 21- 27. doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2007.00126.x Blakeley, R. (2011). Dirty Hands, Clean Conscience? The CIA Inspector General's Investigation of “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” in the War on

Terror and the Torture Debate. Journal Of Human Rights, 10(4), 544-561. doi:10.1080/14754835.2011.619406 Bothe, M., Partsch, K. J., & Solf, W. A. (Eds.). (1982). New Rules for Victims of Armed Conflicts: Commentary on the Two 1977 Protocols Additional to the

Geneva Conventions of 1949. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Carr, K. (2007). Psychology, ethics and national security. The Psychologist,20(10), 594. Carter, L. A., & Abeles, N. (2009). Ethics, prisoner interrogation, national security, and the media. Psychological Services, 6(1), 11. doi:

10.1037/a0011116 Cheney, R. B. (2009). Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. Vital Speeches Of The Day, 75(7), 297-302. Clarkson, F. (2009). The psychologists of torture. Retrieved from http://inthesetimes.com/article/4387/the_psychologists_of_torture Costanzo, M., Gerrity, E., & Lykes, M. (2007). Psychologists and the Use of Torture in Interrogations. Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy, 7(1), 7-20.

doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2007.00118.x DeClue, G. (2010). Three Things That Should Be Used to Guide Investigative Interviews by Military and Intelligence Agencies. J. Psychiatry & L., 38, 251. Halpern, A. L., Halpern, J. H., & Doherty, S. B. (2008, January). "Enhanced" interrogation of detainees: do psychologists and psychiatrists participate?.

Philosophy, Ethics & Humanities in Medicine. pp. 1-11. doi:10.1186/1747-5341-3-21. Hubbard, K. M. (2007). Psychologists and Interrogations: What's Torture Got to Do with It?. Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy, 7(1), 29-33.

doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2007.00123.x James, Larry C., and Gregory A. Freeman. (2008). Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib. New York: Grand Central Pub. Luban, D. (2005). Liberalism, torture, and the ticking bomb. Georgetown Law, 91(1), 1425-1461. http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/148/. Opotow, S. (2007). Moral exclusion and torture: The ticking bomb scenario and the slippery ethical slope. Doi: Priest, D. & Smith, R.J. (2004). Memo offered justification for use of torture. Washington Post, 1(1), A01. washingtonpost.com. Rockwood, L. P. (2012). Professional ethics and military necessity: A false dichotomy?. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 18(4), 401. doi:

10.1037/a0030330 Soldz, S. (2008). Healers or Interrogators: Psychology and the United States Torture Regime. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 18(5), 592-613.

doi:10.1080/10481880802297624 Suedfeld, P. (2007). Torture, interrogation, security, and psychology: Absolutistic versus complex thinking. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy,

7(1), 55-63. The BBC Prison Study. (2008). The Stanford Prison Experiment. Retrieved from http://www.bbcprisonstudy.org/bbc-prison-study.php?p=17 Writght State University. (2011). Larry C. James, Ph.D., ABPP. Retrieved from http://www.wright.edu/cpe/Dr_Larry_Bio.html Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). Thoughts on psychologists, ethics, and the use of torture in interrogations: Don't ignore varying roles and complexities. Analyses

of Social Issues and Public Policy, 7(1), 65-73.