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Blake Busby
English 102
Adam Padgett
30 March 2016
The causes and effects of torture:
A new solution for the United States Government
Everyday, thousands of innocent people are killed or harmed for reasons that cannot be
explained. Within those people, some of the killings or beatings have been done to those who
were accused of a crime they didnt commit. This brings up the topic of torture because it relates
to both of the statements above. Torture is an act that some people consider harsh or wrong,
while others find it to be necessary and useful. While it may be hard to believe, torture can be
considered all of those things but it all depends on a case by case bias. Though torture should not
be allowed, it shouldnt be banned from use either. Through researching both the good qualities
and the bad qualities of torture, I came to the conclusion that there isn't one side of torture
legalization that should be okay, but the United States Government should make a new law,
maybe named the "torture warrant", that causes the act of torture to only be committed in certain
circumstances with pretty strict rules and guidelines.
Throughout my research, I came to realize that the act of torture consisted of many more
negative effects than positive ones. But that one good effect was a pretty significant one. The bad
things consist of how victims can come out traumatized by what went on behind the doors and
how torture is ineffective in terms of reducing the amount of attacks. Sullivan states in his article

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that act of torture fails for two main reasons, one being that it fails to reduce the
insurgents(people who are being tortured) capacities for violence, and two because torture
increases the incentives for the insurgent to commit more acts after finally being released
(Sullivan). This means that throughout the act of torture these people become mentally ill and
start to have a different view on life because of how they were treated. Just like Sullivan, Boehm
states that "These practices(torture) threaten imminent death, could result in prolonged mental
harm, and are engaged in under the color of law. Therefore, they qualify as torture (Boehm)."
The act of torture can cause people to feel dehumanized and make them start to live their lives,
once finally being released, in a dark and helpless way. This is also mentioned by Boehm as he
conducted interviews and noticed that "According to the waterboarding recipients interviewed by
the Commission, in addition to feelings of helpless, most recipients had experienced feelings of
deep humiliation and felt that their lives were entirely at the mercy of their torturers (Boehm)."
Sullivan also conducted some studies that the act of torture is associated with the increased
amount of killings by insurgents during the month following the torture (Sullivan). This shows
that instead of torture helping and being effective, that it just makes people want revenge and
seek out to hurt others now because of what they went through. By what Sullivan's study
showed, it seems torture causes more innocent people to loose their lives rather than the intended
objective which is to prevent it. In the 7 key points from the CIA Torture Report, it uses some of
the same thoughts as Sullivan and Boehm, as the authors believe that "The act of torture was to
blame for the death of a detainee, and the harsh techniques were described as leading to
psychological and behavioral issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts
at self-harm and self-mutilation (Ashkenas)." For these reasons, it makes you open your eyes
and think that nobody should be tortured no matter the circumstance.

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However, these reasons begin to fade away once you see the positive impact the act could
have. For instance, youve heard of the tragedy's such as 9/11 and the Boston Massacre, imagine
if these acts could have been prevented. All those innocent people that would still be alive
doesnt make torture seem so bad after all. There was an example that Arrigo talked about that
was known as the "murders copycat." The copycat was a situation in which a murder that has
certain killing tactics is finally caught and locked away. Although in jail, the same murders begin
to reappear because he has someone else out there to continue his dirty work. The act of torture
could have the potential to stop something like this. Along with that situation, McMahan talks
about the issue known as the "Ticking bomb." This is an issue where the government have
captured a terrorist that has planted a bomb somewhere. They have very little time and no idea
where it could be. The way to retrieve this bomb is to use the act of torture (McMahan). Along
with Mcmahan, both Shunzo and Arrigo, use the same exact issue. This is an issue where torture
is necessary to use and will help save the lives of innocent people. These are the situations,
where I think the "Torture Warrant" could come into play and have a very positive effect.
Another reason to see it from the positive side is because of the people that serve this great
nation. Wallace reported a study where the results showed that veterans are "significantly more
likely to support torture compared to civilians without any prior military background (Wallace)."
This is relevant because it lets you know that the people who are defending our country every
night and day are in support of something that most disagree with. They see things first hand and
realize that the process of torture can be necessary under certain circumstances.
So, now that youve seen the good and the bad, let me implement the thoughts of the
"torture warrant." As Boehm made it clear, President Obama and President Bush clearly had very
different views when talking about the policy of torture. Just days after being sworn into office,

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President Obama issued an executive order overhauling the United States interrogation policy
(Boehm). This shows that the two leaders of our nation have completely different views on the
issue which shows it has relevance in both good ways and bad ways. He thinks that the "majority
of techniques advocated by the Bush Administration, many of which President Obama
suspended, are not torture and should remain valid options in U.S. interrogation policy" which
shows she has a similar view as me in terms of how only certain circumstances should still be
allowed (Boehm). There's no doubt that torture can be both effective and ineffective regarding
the situation. Everyone sees torture in a different way, whether its the view of a soldier or
veteran that has seen people get killed first hand or even if its just a normal civilian who only
hears things such as a news head line that states, "A man was brutally beat and torture" which
could make them see it as wrong or unnecessary. That is why the conclusion of some sort of
torture warrant should be implemented. It would have similar rules and guidelines to what
Majima has suggested. The theory that Majima mentioned in his article is known as "Just
Torture." This theory almost completely backs up my thoughts as it uses a certain criteria that
torture must follow. First of all, the theory states that the act must be done on rightful grounds.
Then, the act must be done by a legitimate person with authority. There must be an appropriate
purpose for committing the act of torture or in other words, the reason for being torture must pass
through a board of people to see if it will be allowed. Finally, you have to review and see how
reasonable the chance of success will be. You have to be almost positive that the reason you are
torturing will be accomplished. Another rule of this theory is that medical care must be granted
after the torture has been completed. No matter what is wrong with the person whether it is
physical or mental, it must be treated professionally (Majima). Also, McMahan mentions a very
good statement that "Capital punishment should be legally permitted, only when it could be

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shown to be justified as a form of just defense rather than retribution." This goes in hand with
what Majima mentions about how it should be legally permitted under the "Just Torture" theory
as it would have to be reviewed by a Judge. The law could also help prevent things such as
having multiple cases false information is obtained. For instance, the C.I.A Torture Report states
that "the C.I.A. never produced an accurate count or list of those it had detained or subjected to
brutal interrogation techniques (Ashkenas)." This law would watch for things like that more
clearly as each case would have to be carefully viewed and documented. There was a suggestion
that the "EIT Ethics Argument would require the army to grant a select group of phycologist a
special dispensation to assist the EIT techniques(Arrigo)." The government should appoint a
certain specialist to do the act of torture if the permission of using torture shall be granted. The
judge must consider "any independent evidence that the applicant would be tortured, even if it
rejects the applicant's own testimony as not credible (Boehm)." This can relate to my personal
opinions as I think that there should be a judge/judges who can make a final decision and
consider all circumstances that will be at stake.
In conclusion, there is obvious sense of more bad than good that comes from the overall
acts of torture. But the reason it is hard to jump on the train with banning it entirely is because
the one major good that could come from it is a huge and meaningful one. The fact that 100's of
innocent people could be saved has to open peoples minds and thoughts and let them see why
there should be a better plan put into place. At first, I was all for the act of torture as I only
looked at in the view of saving many peoples lives. But after doing research and finding some
opposition, it made me have a more neutral mind set on issue and made me come up with a
solution of my own that I think would be valuable. Through reasons debated in the above
paragraphs, I think something like the "Torture Warrant" is necessary and would be helpful to

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add it into the government in some sort of way. Under a case by case decision, the act of torture
could be put into play. Doing this could be huge in terms of saving peoples lives while
preventing ruining others peoples lives as well. There are just to many or to big of outcomes
when talking about torture which makes it nearly impossible to pick a side in this once because
you want to be right in the middle. That is what a torture warrant can do for us. Now, along with
what is being done, there should also be rules to who is committing the act. Torture should only
be trained by highly trained specialist and it should also be done in a professional manner.

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Works Cited
Arrigo, Jean Maria, et al. "The Good Psychologist, Good Torture, And Good Reputation
Response To ODonohue, Snipes, Dalto, Soto, Maragakis, And Im (2014) The Ethics Of
Enhanced Interrogations And Torture." Ethics & Behavior 25.5 (2015): 361-372.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
Ashkenas, Jeremy, Hannah Fairfield, Josh Keller, and Paul Volpe. "7 Key Points From the C.I.A.
Torture Report." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Dec. 2014. Web. 04 Apr.
2016.
Boehm, Dana Carver. "Waterboarding, Counter-Resistance, And The Law Of Torture:
Articulating The Legal Underpinnings Of U.S. Interrogation Policy." University Of Toledo
Law Review 41.1 (2009): 1-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
Majima, Shunzo. "Just Torture?." Journal Of Military Ethics 11.2 (2012): 136-148. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
McMahan, Jeff. "Torture, Morality, And Law." Case Western Reserve Journal Of International
Law 37.2/3 (2006): 241-248. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

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Sullivan, Christopher Michael. "The (In)Effectiveness Of Torture For Combating Insurgency."

Journal Of Peace Research51.3 (2014): 388-404. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr.
2016.
Wallace, Geoffrey P.R. "Martial Law? Military Experience, International Law, And Support For
Torture." International Studies Quarterly 58.3 (2014): 501-514. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.