Hell holes in the U.S.

Guantanamo may be the most well-known symbol of government-sponsored torture of prisoners, but the horrors of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib take place right in your back yard—conveniently hidden in high-walled prisons.

Prison
Image in public domain.

In today’s post we provide some of the facts about torture in the U.S. prison system, along with links to articles and videos that document the torture and its horrendous effects.

 Facts

  • “The US incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, sometimes imposing very long sentences marred by racial disparities.” Human Rights Watch
  • Thousands of American prisoners are kept in solitary confinement, a state of extreme isolation and sensory deprivation, which is itself an extremely destructive form of torture.
  • Like the prisoners in Guantanamo, some prisoners are driven by desperation to stage hunger strikes to try to bring attention to their inhumane treatment.
  • A substantial number of the tortured prisoners, including the ones in solitary confinement, are youth under the age of 18.
  • Some of these children are girls
  • Their stories are heartbreaking—from child abuse by their families to child abuse in detention facilities.
  • Many of the prisoners are mentally ill. Instead of getting treatment, they get tortured. N.B. This video is very graphic and disturbing

Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and Amnesty International work tirelessly to end torture, including in U.S. prisons. They deserve our thanks and support.

To learn more about torture in U.S. prisons, see Torture in Your Backyard, a powerful video from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

And read this report (opens in pdf) from the American Friends Service Committee.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Torture quiz

Question: What is the significance of June? Answer: June is Torture Awareness Month.

Guantanamo prisoners
Detainees at Camp x-Ray, Guantanamo Bay. Image in public domain.

Question: What is the significance of Guantanamo? Answer: Guantanamo is the symbol of American shame and self-degradation.

Fact: Our government has physically and psychologically tortured innocent men, and has kept them locked in a hellhole to the point that they are starving themselves.

Question: Why? Answer: The government fears that after the treatment those men have received at the hands of American henchmen, they may become terrorists if they return to their home countries.

Plea: Please watch this video and see the presentation of this infographic. Increase your awareness of what has been done by a government that is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Question: What does it take to get citizens to understand that torture, by any name, not only violates human rights, but also may be the most effective tool in the world for creating terrorists?

Answer: Recognition that the people being tortured are human beings, not animals, and they are being tortured not to get information but to terrorize groups of people designated as the “enemy” or “terrorist,” often on the basis of NO evidence but simply appearance.

Watch protest actions and “There is a man under that hood.”

Question: Does awareness of the inhumane and illegal behaviors of the U.S. government in Guantanamo lead to any sort of protest?

Answer: Yes. Many courageous Americans have undertaken efforts to keep this particular group of torture victims in the public eye. For example, watch this brief video showing what a group of American high school students have done to make a difference.

And visit the sites of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and Witness Against Torture.

These are the beacons that can help us regain some respect within the international community and our own minds and hearts.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology