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Not to dismiss the seriousness of the abuse of imprisoned Iraqis by Americans, I recall a study done some decades ago with college students that had to be aborted because of the harms being done to 'prisoners' by 'guards' play acting prisoner/guard roles. Even simulating such roles brings out the viciousness in some individuals. No small surprise that some trained for military service, not guard duty, would begin to abuse their prisoners.
The larger issue here, of course, is that the U.S. leads the world with its prison population -- 2,000,000+ or 1/4 of the world's total. And now these prisoners are now being released at an annual rate of 600,000 -- many suffering from post-traumatic stress and, thus, at risk both to themselves and others. Studies done back in the Viet Nam era indicated that prisoners leave prison either destroyed as personalities or deeply angry. A study of conscientious objectors imprisoned during that period which included all types from peace activists to priests documented this phenomenon -- all of these pacifists left prison deeply angered with American society.
Having worked with kids who ended up in prison for the most part at one point in my life -- and who mostly died violently and quite young -- I am particularly and deeply distressed by what we Americans are doing to people both here at home where we are allowing poverty to fester and abroad where the Bush administration has gone on a military killing spree.
Both of these phenomena bode ill for the future of this nation.
Ed Kent
P.S. Sorry that I don't have the titles of these studies. They are probably available with a search. They were both widely publicized at the time. -- "A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy) -- Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
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