But Linda, as you surely recognize, since the current government does
not recognize what is going on a Guantanamo as "torture or other cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment or cruel, inhuman, or degrading
punishment" none of this has ANY bearing on the actual question at hand.
And the Abu Graib incident is over (at the least the current round) so
it has no impact there either. Thus, loopholes would appear to abound.
Regards,
Chris Green
==================
Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D. wrote:
Hi Chris,
As someone who has spent time poring through the reams of material, I
think I can address this question.
Note that the 2006 Resolution was not drafted by lawyers but rather by
peace psychologists (although human rights attorneys were consulted).
There is no equivocation in the wording of the Resolution.
Perhaps the reason it appear to look like a legal document is that we
endeavored to close every possible loophole in relation to
psychologists involvement in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or
degrading treatment or punishment. The biggest problem I see right now
is that the APA is not taking the next necessary steps (a moratorium
on psychologist involvement in interrogations of foreign detainees)
and therefore is not living up to the adopted Resolution.
There are also significant problems with the PENS report as noted
previously and concerns about the omission of wording to the Ethical
Principles and Standards related to harm and international human rights.
Now to the participation question:
The 2006 Resolution is quite clear that psychologists can not
participate *directly* or *indirectly* in abusive interrogations. The
positions below were adopted by APA Council last August. Here is the
list of things psychologist can NOT do from the Resolution.
Psychologists can NOT:
- engage in, tolerate, direct, support, advise, or offer training in
torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or cruel,
inhuman, or degrading punishment.
- knowingly provide any research, instruments, or knowledge that
facilitates the practice of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman,
or degrading treatment or cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment.
- participate in any procedure in which torture or other forms of
cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or cruel, inhuman, or degrading
punishment is used or threatened.
What psychologists must do according to the Resolution:
- Should torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment evolve during a procedure
where a psychologist is present, the psychologist shall attempt to
intervene to stop such behavior, and failing that exit the procedure.
- Psychologists shall be alert to acts of torture and other cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment or cruel, inhuman, or degrading
punishment and have an ethical responsibility to report these acts to
the appropriate authorities.
- Psychologists shall work in accordance with international human
rights instruments relevant to their roles.
A problem arises with writing a blanket ethics and interrogation
statement. It raises questions not about just interrogations of
foreign detainees but interrogations of all prisoners within the
justice system. So, for example, should psychologists be involved in
interrogations of prisoners who are accused of crimes such as child
abuse, rape, murder, assault, etc.? Also, should psychologists be
involved in child custody hearings where they have been asked to
interview parents to determine fitness? In each case, psychologists
would be asked to question an individual and try to acquire
information that may not be in that individual's best interest. What
makes the foreign detainee issue unique are the lack of constitutional
rights which are normally afforded U.S. citizens and the nature of the
detention centers themselves (e.g., Abu Ghraib; undiscovered detention
centers; GITMO). I recognize that the problems associated with most
U.S. detention centers are issues that also need to be addressed at
some point.
To Peace,
Linda
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