Is torture-based investigation justfied?

[Snow Fairy Sugar]

Self explanatory title. :o

But to elaborate- do you think investigation/questioning through torture is a right/vital method on suspected terrorists or terrorists in order to get information vital for national security? Or for any purposes related to national level crimes or higher?

[Ayotui]

depends: if it is very important i don,t think it can do any harm (except for the guy that is being tortured off course)

[Black Hawk]

It's very necessary. How the hell are you going to get information out of people if they know they won't be hurt/tortured? You don't even have to torture them, in some cases the fear of being tortured is enough.

~EFG~

[Ah Beng I the Pikabeng]

Originally Posted by Snow Fairy Sugar

Self explanatory title. :o

But to elaborate- do you think investigation/questioning through torture is a right/vital method on suspected terrorists or terrorists in order to get information vital for national security? Or for any purposes related to national level crimes or higher?

Obviously. A vital method it is, as even though it is not right it is the best way. Would you rather cause harm to one person, or hundreds, maybe thousands or millions? Besides, by threatening others, terrorists forfeit their human rights. The rights that disallow torture being used on them. But we need to know where to draw the line. As long as we do so, the risks of us torturing someone innocent by mistake will be minimal. Which means less compensation being given out to such people because there are fewer of them.

[Scourge of Amaranth]

In and of itself, torture-based investigation is acceptable. Unfortunately, it is abused/misused so frequently that the lines seem to be crossed more often than any good comes out of the process.

An interesting movie that deals with the subject: Closet Land, with Alan Rickman and Madeleine Stowe. It's quite well done and portrays the topic well.

[Snow Fairy Sugar]

Just throwing one more point in- would the use of torture methods (For example, Waterboarding) actually increase the accuracy/frequency of the correct results, and would it have been able to achieve with less drastic methods?

EDIT @ anybody: Unless you're ready to read some really mentally affecting stuff- I suggest you avoid reading the Waterboarding link.

[spartan117]

I think its wrong unless you know the victim is deffinately guilty.

[Larvinator]

I would think torture would only increase the chances of getting a falsified confession out of somebody just to give the torturers what they want to hear so they'll leave them alone. Besides, there's some good testimony on this that very heavily implies that torture not only doesn't work, but treating the prisoner with respect and giving them things they want yields more cooperation and therefore more information. Besides, if major countries start adopting this as their stance, what message does this send to other countries? A country like, oh, say, the US would certainly would be withdrawing its right to protest if a one of their citizens were captured and tortured "legally".

[Game Over]

It depends on the situation. I am completely against mutilating human bodies to get information, that's just goes against America's amendments. There are certain people that have information though that may lead to finding out who was behind something like 9/11(sorry if this offends or brings up bad memories for anyone), which I consider extremely important information that we need to get, almost anyway possible.

[scubasteveE]

Originally Posted by Larvinator

I would think torture would only increase the chances of getting a falsified confession out of somebody just to give the torturers what they want to hear so they'll leave them alone. Besides, there's some good testimony on this that very heavily implies that torture not only doesn't work, but treating the prisoner with respect and giving them things they want yields more cooperation and therefore more information. Besides, if major countries start adopting this as their stance, what message does this send to other countries? A country like, oh, say, the US would certainly would be withdrawing its right to protest if a one of their citizens were captured and tortured "legally".

No that's not the American way! We're not no hippie flower power freedom child nation!!!! [/sarcasm]

I wonder how many Americans actually feel that way?

Yeah I'm totally against it.

[skiboydoggy]

What Larvinator said. Torture is not only inhumane and abhorred in countries with allow capital punishment, it increases the chances of falsified information being randomly spewed to have the torture stopped.

[Ah Beng I the Pikabeng]

Originally Posted by Larvinator

I would think torture would only increase the chances of getting a falsified confession out of somebody just to give the torturers what they want to hear so they'll leave them alone. Besides, there's some good testimony on this that very heavily implies that torture not only doesn't work, but treating the prisoner with respect and giving them things they want yields more cooperation and therefore more information. Besides, if major countries start adopting this as their stance, what message does this send to other countries? A country like, oh, say, the US would certainly would be withdrawing its right to protest if a one of their citizens were captured and tortured "legally".

I'm not too sure that'd work. They could just as well capitalis/ze on this laxity and chances are we might never get any information, true or false.


So it just boils down to no info or potentially falsified info, huh? If you ask me, I'd pick the latter.

[Professor Geoffrey]

I've got multiple opinions on this topic.

I mean, suspect terrorists... who's more important, one life trying to end others', or thousands? Just throwing that out there, don't bite my leg off...

However, I do not believe water-boarding is torture. Sure, it does some damage to the psyche. So does being in jail. So does breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend. So does being informed of a death in the family. Happens to all of us. But from what I have heard, no permanent damage has been left by water-boarding. It may seem inhumane at first, if ever, but it's for a good cause.

[Snow Fairy Sugar]

Just to clarify...waterboarding is indeed torture, according to the United Nations. Unless of course, that's your personal opinion that waterboarding =/= torture. And yes, permanent damage can occur- it can lead to death due to asphyxiation.

And I'm surprised you can compare breaking up with...torture. Of course, if that were true, Human Rights Watchdogs would condemn breaking up of couples and/or adolescents who fall in love and end up with broken hearts days later.

[complexmanifold]

Originally Posted by Ayotui

depends: if it is very important i don,t think it can do any harm (except for the guy that is being tortured off course)

Brilliant!

Originally Posted by Black Hawk

It's very necessary. How the hell are you going to get information out of people if they know they won't be hurt/tortured? You don't even have to torture them, in some cases the fear of being tortured is enough.

~EFG~

Originally Posted by Ah Beng I the Pikabeng

I'm not too sure that'd work. They could just as well capitalis/ze on this laxity and chances are we might never get any information, true or false.


So it just boils down to no info or potentially falsified info, huh? If you ask me, I'd pick the latter.

You can actually convince people to do stuff using your words. I know, it sounds lame, but it works. Haven't you seen a movie or something in which some guy on top of a building is convinced not to jump. You can also threaten people with extended imprisonment or other ways of limiting liberties.

Originally Posted by A Requiem of Verities

I've got multiple opinions on this topic.

I mean, suspect terrorists... who's more important, one life trying to end others', or thousands? Just throwing that out there, don't bite my leg off...

However, I do not believe water-boarding is torture. Sure, it does some damage to the psyche. So does being in jail. So does breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend. So does being informed of a death in the family. Happens to all of us. But from what I have heard, no permanent damage has been left by water-boarding. It may seem inhumane at first, if ever, but it's for a good cause.

Yeah, but this is psychological damage in which we actually have the power to prevent by not doing it in the first place.

I absolutely despise torture and I do not think I could ever administer or take it. It is really hard for me to choose whether it is justified. I'm leaning toward yes, because it is very effective. No information is worth keeping while experiencing excruciating pain and suffering. Furthermore, the person has the choice of not being tortured at all, they just have to give up their intel. That is, if they even have the information needed. Torture should be used as a last resort, and you better be very sure they have the information you're looking for before you go trying to extort it by inflicting pain.