Term Paper on "Code of Ethics & Military Interrogation"

Term Paper 5 pages (1450 words) Sources: 9

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Code of Ethics & Military Interrogation of Detainees

Merits, Demerits & Biases of Task Force on Psychological Ethics

Changes in APA Public Policy

Boundaries of the APA Ethical Principles and Psychologists' Involvement in Military Interrogation

APA Code of Conduct & Rights of Patients / Clients

Impact of U.S. Policies on Detainees

Effect of Military Interrogation Culture on Psychologists

Conflicts between U.S. Law & International Law

APA Code of Ethics and Military Interrogation of Detainees

United States interrogation policies and rules regarding detainees have been greatly criticized after discovery of "black site" prisons outside the territory of United States. Where American Psychological Association (APA) has extended its cooperation to law and order agencies with reference to interrogation of war detainees, APA regulations and code of ethics have been receiving a great deal of criticism not only from psychologists and human rights associations. There is a serious concern about the objectivity and effectiveness of Psychologists when they are involved in interrogation sessions of international detainees, performed by law and order agencies like Pentagon and CIA as these sessions have found to be immensely inhumane and brutal which violates the fundamentality of APA code of ethics and international law.

The chair of APA ethics committee is Linda M. Forest (APA Ethics Committee, 2012). Considering the nature of usual scenarios of ethical conflicts faced by Military and intellige

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nce personnel, ethical consultation should be sought when the ethics conflict with the objectives (and subsequent course of action) of the activities undertaken by these personnel with reference to the APA Ethical principles and code of conduct related to resolving of issues. According to APA standards "misuse of psychologists work, conflicts between ethics and law, regulations, or other governing legal authority, conflicts between ethics and organizational demands, reporting ethical violence," are the areas requiring professional consultation from Ethics Committee (2010, para. 1).

Compliance to ethical Psychological in interrogation settings has been concern for APA authorities lately. and, considering the implications of interrogations methods on psychologists, it has been declared that psychologists shall not be present during interrogation sessions involving torture and, physical and mental abuse. The American Psychological Association (APA) has issued various public statements condemning torture as unethical and unacceptable, yet it has chosen not to make these statements enforceable on its own membership through inclusion in the enforceable section of its ethics code (Pope, 2008).

Merits, Demerits & Biases of Task Force on Psychological Ethics

Considering the merits and demerits of APA PENS Report (2005), the Code of Ethics has set clear boundaries within which a psychologist may operate however it fails to define the measures through which a psychologist may preserve his/her objectivity, competence and effectiveness. The PENS report clearly states "psychologists make clear the limits of confidentiality and do not act beyond their competencies. In addition to that, psychologists clarify for themselves the identity of their client and retain ethical obligations to individuals who are not their clients (APA, 2005, p.7)." Furthermore, the report has also declared that the psychologist must remain aware of his/her role during interrogation or during circumstances where the role is subject to ambiguity. But the issue is that in circumstances where a body of different professionals is employed to given an opinion or performs a certain task, psychologist's awareness of personal role has a limited scope in comparison to the group's judgment. Therefore, adherence to Statement 5 of this report fails to entail any details as how the psychologist should preserve his individuality.

Where the report clearly defines the code of ethics of Psychologist and also elaborates the nature of role that can be performed by the psychologist (not a medical care-giver), the report does not address the major issue: how a psychologist would address the confidentiality issue and also how he/she would refrain the military authorities from drawing necessary information out of medical records available to the psychologist. Principle 2 of these twelve statements directs the psychologists not to engage in, direct, support, facilitate or offer training in torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment but principle 7 directs that the psychologists may serve in various national security-related roles (PENS, 2005). This ambiguity levied greater amount of stress on the psychologists present during interrogations Situations where the authorization from appropriate authority has been taken for torture and human abuse, psychologists are not provided with any guidelines for a recommended… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Code of Ethics and Military Interrogation" Assignment:

“

Please careful to read below class requirement. All sentences are following APA style with APA style citation, (Please cited and add name, year, page number). References are APA format. Please take a look at the Internet, YouTube (post the weblink versus clip) or popular media.

I am interested in your views and public policy considerations of psychologists*****' roles in U.S. Military interrogations.

The APA Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) met in response to the Board of Directors***** February 2005 charge, that the Task Force:

*****Examine whether our current Ethics Code adequately addresses [the ethical dimensions of psychologists***** involvement in national security related activities], whether the APA provides adequate ethical guidance to psychologists involved in these endeavors, and whether APA should develop policy to address the role of psychologists and psychology in investigations related to national security.***** The Task Force was able to set forth twelve statements about the ethical obligations of psychology in national security, more specifically, torture and interrogation. (APA, Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security, June 2005).

Discussion Questions: Public Policy, Clinical Practice and Research for Psychologists.

1. Who is the chairman of the APA Ethics Committee and under what circumstances should a professional consultation be sought?

2. Commenting on the strengths and limitations of the Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security, should psychologists participate in prisoner interrogation of U.S. military detainees support your answer? Does the report give contradictory information?

A. What are the recent changes to APA public policy on the participation of psychologists in interrogation of U.S. military detainees?

3. Within the boundaries of the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct, is it possible for psychologists to be involved with the interrogation of military detainees?

4. Do professional ethics require psychologists to act solely for the benefit of the patient?

5. Do U.S. Policies and Interrogation Practices result in harm or benefit to the detainee?

6. What is the appropriate ethical professional response of the military psychologists or psychologist consultants, if, U.S. Policies and Interrogation Practices are in violation of International law e.g. Geneva Convention or Human Rights?

7. How would the military/secret service culture of interrogation affect the ability of the consulting psychologist to locate and adhere to ethical principles, practice standards, and boundaries?

8. Are there any biases in the APA Task Force Report on the Role of Psychologists in Interrogation of Military Detainees?

9. If there is conflict between international law and U.S. law that has an impact on the ethical standards for the practice of psychology, what course should be followed? and post your impressions, informed by the reading and discussion questions. Include the U.S. Supreme Court case, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld in your reading. It*****'s an interesting case.

10. Identify one other resource to help inform your response. Be sure to add the resources as an attachment to your post. The resource can be from peer reviewed journals, Internet, YouTube (post the weblink versus clip) or popular media. Have fun.

*****

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