Psychological Torture: Definition, Evaluation And Measurement

Description

Sadly, it is highly likely that psychological torture is committed by governments worldwide and yet, notwithstanding the serious moral questions that this disturbing and elusive concept raises, and research in the area so limited, there is no operational or legal definition. This pioneering new book provides the first scientific definition and instrument to measure what it means to be tortured psychologically, as well as how allegations of psychological torture can be judged. Ground in cross-disciplinary research across psychology, anthropology, ethics, philosophy, law and medicine, the book is a tour de force which analyses the legal framework in which psychological torture can exist, the harrowing effects it can have on those who have experienced it, and the motivations and identities of those who perpetrate it. Integrating the voices both of those who have experienced torture as well as those who have committed it, the book defines what we mean by psychological torture, its aims and effects, as well as the moral and ethical debates in which it operates. Finally, the book builds on the Istanbul Protocol to provide a comprehensive new framework, including practical scales, that enables us to accurately measure psychological torture for the first time. This is an important and much-needed overview and analysis of an issue that many governments have sought to sweep under the carpet. Its accessibility and range of coverage make it essential reading not only for psychologists and psychiatrists interested in this field, but also human rights organizations, lawyers and the wider international community. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Acknowledgements Table of Contents EXTENDED TABLE OF CONTENTS List of tables List of figures Why this book: the need to define and operationalise torture in the present century SECTION 1 Premises 1 Where things stand: the concept of torture and psychological torture The definition of torture in the legal arena The boundaries of torture: the concept of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment (CIDT) Psychological torture: early definitions White torture, no-touch torture and clean torture SECTION 2 The voices 2 Intangible elements of psychological torture: learning from the voices of survivors Vann Nath – A Cambodian Prison Portrait Carlos Liscano – The Truck of Fools Jacqueline Gurruchaga and Beatriz Brenzano – Memories of Sexual Torture Mario Villani – Disappeared: Memories of Captivity Henry Engler – The Circle Marcelo Viñar – Fractures of Memory Jean Améry – At the Mind’s Limits Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – The Gulag Archipelago Javier Larreta Aldazíbar – Incommunicado detention and torture in Spain Summary and conclusions: defining psychological torture in the experiences of torture survivors Implications for the legal definition of torture 3 The definition of psychological torture in the testimonies of harsh interrogators and torturers Jorge Néstor Tróccoli – The Wrath of Leviathan Ex-colonel Gilberto Vazquez – Interview with a torturer Hugo García Rivas – Confessions of a torturer Bruce Moore-King – Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People Damien Corsetti: The Monster ‘Harsh interrogation’: Behavioral Science Consultation Teams Summary and conclusions: a definition of psychological torture in the experience of harsh interrogators and torturers SECTION 3 Current legal perspectives 4 Psychological torture in international law An analysis of jurisprudence Fear and threats constituting torture in international law Collective terror as a form of torture Rape as a special case of physical and psychological torture Detention conditions Other conditions amounting to cruel or inhuman treatment based on psychological suffering Indicators of psychological torture in international human rights law Conclusion: psychological torture slowly gains recognition 5 From dignity to identity: humiliation as a paradigm of the differences between legal and mental health perspectives Torture as an attack on human dignity A relational definition of torture The efficacy of humiliation in torture settings From theory to data: clinical and research-based studies Conclusion: dignity and humiliation from legal and mental health perspectives 6 The perpetrator’s psychological and legal rationale: motivation, intention and purpose Intentionality: knowingness and willingness Intentionality Assessment Checklist: a new tool Purpose Motivation Conclusions SECTION 4 Scientific approaches to defining psychological torture 7 Cataloguing torture methods Psychometric tools for measuring torture Classification based on mathematical procedures Consensus groups Theory-driven classifications Combined or single methods Conclusions: the need to shift from focusing on torture methods to focusing on its objectives 8 The neurobiology of psychological torture Fear and loss of controllability Do biological markers of psychological torture exist? Self-conscious emotions Neuropsychological evidence of torture Conclusions: from nonspecific to specific correlates 9 Trauma theory and the concept of psychological torture The concept of ‘trauma’ What we can learn from the debate over the concept of trauma The torture’s impact on identity and worldviews Functional measurements Mental harm as a sign of psychological torture SECTION 5 Psychological torture techniques 10 The historical roots of psychological torture in modern history: the slow road to convergence The French school: the rule of pain The British school: implementing and training in psychological torture The American school of psychological torture Conclusions: lessons from history Addendum: excerpts from Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency by Roger Trinquier (1961) 11 Primary needs and relationship to the environment Detention conditions Social isolation, solitary confinement and sensory deprivation Sleep regulation An integrated model of environmental manipulation and coercive interrogation 12 Targeting the body to reach the mind: pain without marks Pain-producing positions and exercises Internal battles: externally-imposed self-inflicted pain, forced absorption, stress positions and emotional exhaustion 13 The limitations of normal interrogation in law enforcement procedures Legal precedents Mapping the field Classification of interrogation techniques From ethics to science: experimental studies comparing interrogation styles Conclusions: are manipulation and deception torture techniques? 14 Interrogation procedures in military intelligence gathering US Army Manuals: drawing the line between interrogation and torture? From coercive interrogation to psychological torture The hybrid paradigm Conclusions: clear regulations for cumulative ill-treatment 15 The psychological manipulation of identity ‘Brainwashing’: the myth and reality of identity manipulation and its application in the definition of psychological torture Targeting identity 16 Technological research and psychological torture Monitoring interrogations with the aid of technology Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Brain Fingerprinting: event-related potentials (EEG–ERP) Use of drugs Ethical concerns related to new technologies SECTION 6 Definition and measurement of psychological torture 17 Redrawing the conceptual map of torture An overview of where we stand: five definitions for the same act Converging ideas towards a universal model of torture Fitting the pieces together in an atlas of psychological torture The ‘five days is enough’ paradigm: torture with and without time limits What we’ve learned after redrawing the map 18 A new outlook for defining and measuring torturing environments Torturing environments instead of torture methods The Torturing Environment Scale as a measurement tool 19 The need to further develop the Istanbul Protocol A reconsideration of psychological torture in the Istanbul Protocol Moral suffering Credibility analysis in the Istanbul Protocol SEC: a new tool to assess credibility based on the Istanbul Protocol Other aspects Conclusions 20 Final thoughts and an agenda for future research Psychological torture, or simply torture The future of torture Many definitions, one concept Evaluation of torturing environments The Istanbul Protocol Reversing the paradigm APPENDIXES Appendix 1. International classification systems Classification of torture methods according to the Istanbul Protocol (1985) HURIDOCS: thesaurus for the classification of torture methods Appendix 2. CIA and Army Manuals The KUBARK Interrogation Manual: techniques FM 2–22.3 Human Intelligence Collector Operations (2006) Appendix 3. Classification of Interrogation Techniques (Kelly et al., 2013) Appendix 4. Toolbox Semi-structured interview for torture survivors – Exposure to Torture Scale (Basoglu and Paker, 1995) Torture Checklist ( Jaranson et al., 2004) Torture Screening Checklist, Revised (TSCL-R) (Rasmussen, 2011, 2016) Vital Impact Assessment Questionnaire – VIVO Questionnaire (Pérez-Sales et al., 2012) Appendix 5. The Torturing Environment Scale Scoring and interpretation of results Psychological versus physical torture methods Appendix 6. Standardized Evaluation Form for Credibility assessment (SEC) Appendix 7. Intentionality Assessment Checklist (IAC) Appendix 8. A Step-by-step Guide for Documenting Torture Stage 1: Testimonies Stage 2. Using tools and scales Bibliography Index