HOW THE APA ENDORSED TORTURE

INTRODUCTION

POST 9/11 ERA

DEFINING "TOTURE"

DEFINING "TORTURE"

• Acts equivalent to "serious physical injuries such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death"
• Acts causing "significant psychological harm lasting months or even years"

DEFINING "TORTURE"

• Not considered torture if interrogator "did not intend to cause severe pain"
• Intent can be shown by consulting with experts - such as the APA

WHAT IS THE APA?

WHAT IS THE APA?

• World's largest association of professional psychologists
• Scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students
• Mission is to provide leadership and advance the field of psychology

THE "PENS" TASK FORCE

THE "PENS" TASK FORCE

• Convened in 2005
• Led by APA president
• Formed in response to the April 2004 Abu Ghraib abuses

THE APA "PENS" TASK FORCE

• Established ethical guidelines for interrogations
• Examined role of psychologists
• Close collaboration with DoD officials - 6 members

THE APA "PENS" TASK FORCE

• Joint Objective: To create guidelines that "placed no significant additional constraints on DoD interrogation practices"

WHY HELP THE GOVERNMENT?

1. CURRY FAVOR WITH THE DOD

• One of the largest employers of psychologists in the U.S.
• Employs 7% of APA members
• Has spent over $730 million funding psychology research since 2007

2.) FOSTER GROWTH OF THE PROFESSION

• Did not want to hinder the growth of the new & developing professions of Military & Operational Psychology

3.) PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

• Personal relationships between APA staff and DOD personnel
• Key APA executive married to one of the military's lead psychologists

THE DILEMMA

THE DILEMMA

• Should the APA support the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques"?
• If so, where do they draw the line?
• What role(s), if any, should psychologists play?

THE DILEMMA

• Decided to support interrogation techniques as long as they weren't "cruel or in humane"
• Psychologists should play the role of "safety monitor" as well as ensure effectiveness of interrogations
• Decisions resulted mainly from DoD collaboration and not APA ethics

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

• Independent study conducted in July 2015 found the APA did indeed work with the DoD in an unethical fashion to facilitate torture of detainees

CONCLUSION

• Did so by issuing loose ethical guidelines that were written by DoD officials and collaborating with the DoD throughout the entire process

PERSONAL VIEWS

PERSONAL VIEWS

• Do I think torture of terrorists is unethical? No
• APA should have followed its own ethics & principals instead of supporting DoD

DISCUSSION

DISCUSSION

• How do YOU define torture?
• Is torture always unethical? When is it OK? When is it not?
• Who should the APA represent in their ethical stances overall?