Torture In Prisons

Torture is defined as the action of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something. The Central Intelligence Agency put in place “advanced interrogation techniques” under the Bush Administration after the occurrence of 9/11. These techniques can easily be viewed as a form of torture. A citizen of the United States often agrees with the CIA’s interrogation techniques, however, one is often under assumption that the CIA has the right detainee in prison, the detainee has the vital information to give regarding terrorist plots, and that the interrogation is under strict regulation and not out of control. This is not the case. In reality, innocent people are tortured, the information gained are lies, and
The most famous sites are Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and the Salt Pit, also known as COBALT, in Afghanistan. The most sadistic site often is considered to be the Salt Pit. Lights within the prison were never turned on and prisoners were forced to be naked almost at all times. Prisoners were extremely traumatized by the torture at the Salt Pit, often cowering like dogs when their cell doors were opened. A detainee, Gul Rahman, was tortured to death. Rahman’s clothing was ordered to be removed and then Rahman was forcefully shackled to a cold concrete wall. The next day, Rahman was found lifeless. A medical officer conducted an autopsy and iterated the cause of death was hypothermia. On the contrary, the medical report itself said Rahman’s death was undetermined. The Abu Ghraib prison is eerily similar, however, Abu Ghraib was shut down for the Central Intelligence Agency’s violation of basic human rights. The human rights violations at Abu Ghraib include torture, physical and sexual abuse, rape, and murder. Sergeant Javal Davis, who worked at Abu Ghraib, illustrated the prison as, “‘The encampment they were in when we saw it at first looked like one of those Hitler things, like a concentration camp, almost. It was just disgusting. You didn’t want to touch anything. Whatever the worst thing that comes to your mind, that was it.’” (Gourevitch 1). After Abu Ghraib was shut down eleven soldiers were charged with maltreatment, aggravated assault, and battery. The pattern of torture in Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan is disturbing. If one of these prisons arose in the United States, the torture by the CIA would be deemed inhumane and unconstitutional in a matter of