The Torture and Prisoner Abuse Debate

(Hardback)

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Revelations about U.S. torture and prisoner abuse in blatant violation of the long-established and universally recognized Geneva Conventions have horrified most Americans. Nevertheless, it has been argued that the high stakes of the War on Terror have made the protections offered by the Conventions obsolete, or that the abuses are the work of a few rogue soldiers and officers. This book reaches past the headlines into the historical record to document POW torture and also domestic prisoner abuse dating well back in our history as well as government and military knowledge of and collusion in such ostensibly illegal and reprehensible acts. Is torture and prisoner abuse justified in the name of some greater good As a society we shall have to decide. The historical record presented here can contribute much to an informed national discussion.

Reviews

This thoughtful work will capture the attention of high school students, teachers, and the public alike, offering multiple perspectives in an ongoing national debate. Highly recommended for high school, public and university libraries. * Doug's Student Reference Room *
Laura Finley examines the legitimacy of this 'original sin' argument. She outlines the considerable precedents for the use of torture in European and American history, from the Inquisition and slavery, through the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Vietnam War. The evidence is by no means limited to military and national security situations. Indeed, Finley demonstrates frequent parallels to the problems of abuse in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan in the interrogation practices of American police and the disciplinary measures used in our penal systems. She also documents the attention given to torture in American law and executive policy. In so doing, she widens the debate on prisoner abuse from the limited context of the War on Terror in question for American society at large this exploration of the question of torture will help to widen discussion of a controversial issue. * Lawrence Looks at Books *

Author Bio

Laura L. Finley teaches in the Department of Women's Studies at Florida Atlantic University and was formerly Director of Social Change at Women in Distress, the only domestic violence agency in Broward County, Florida. Dr. Finley is the author of Juvenile Justice (2007) in Greenwood's Historical Guides to Controversial Issues in America series and editor of Encyclopedia of Juvenile Violence (Greenwood Press, 2006).