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Benefits of Psychologists Involvement in Torture
Matthew Carbonelli, Jessica Fino & Rebecca See
American Perspectives on Torture
(Yougov.com, 2012)
Do you feel that torture is justifiable?
Do you feel that these statistics accurately reflect the American viewpoint now?
Discussion Question
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
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)
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)
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)
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)
Reasons for torture Obtaining a confession Punishment Intimidation to act in specific ways Destroy victim psychologically Induce helplessness
Goals of Torture
(Arrigo, & Wagner 2007).
Corporal punishment Humiliation Suspension Burning Electrical injuries Asphyxiation Sexual assault
Previous forms of torture
(Abeles, 2010)
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)
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)
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)
3.04 3.08 3.09
American Psychological Association
1.02 1.03 1.05
(The Torture Question)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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
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)
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)
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)
The Stanford Prison Experiment and Abu Ghraib: Two Studies in Human Nature
Video
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)
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)
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)
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
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