Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. The word torture comes from the Latin tortura, meaning to twist. This book should be a must-read for anyone working on interrogation policy. Excellent review of just why torture doesn't work. Given I am neither a medical or psychology trained expert or thankfully ever been subject to torture, all I read and the later revelations about Abu Ghraib detention and torture practices plus indirect comments made in many different articles and documentary films (notably Errol Morris's "Standard Operating Procedures") simply added to this unease. Torture doesn’t work. Cooper notes the work of the political scientist Darius Rejali, which has helped demonstrate one thing about torture: It works well, so long as the goal is to extract a false confession. Published in In last month's Prospect, Michael Ignatieff wondered if torture, under some circumstances, may make us safer. Torture didn’t even work for the Gestapo as Political Science Professor Darius Rejali explains in his excellent Washington Post opinion piece “ 5 Myths About Torture “. Tips for Discouraging Torture Roll behind the screen for higher ranked subordinates. Besides being cruel and inhumane, torture does not work the way torturers assume it does. O'Mara's book answers this critical question in clear terms. O'Mara's systematic exploration of both the insidious effects and destructive consequences of torture is a must read for anyone interested in gaining an objective, evidence-based understanding of this exceedingly complex issue. Another strength is that it provides an alternative method for obtaining information. But neuroscientists know a lot about how the brain reacts to fear, extreme temperatures, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, and immersion in freezing water, all tools of the torturer’s trade. Torture is banned because it is cruel and inhumane. Besides being cruel and inhumane, torture does not work the way torturers assume it does. If Torture Doesn't Work, Why Do Governments Use It? Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016, Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2016. 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CIA officers and others conducted torture using precisely this justification. The justification at the time was that torture extracted vital intelligence. My research and book on the history and logic of torture, including the CIA program, provide overwhelming evidence that torture doesn’t work. Torture doesn't work It erodes national security and democracy. Why Torture Doesn’t Work has a specific origin, says its author Shane O’Mara, professor of experimental brain research at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Torture doesn’t work. Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Harvard University Press (November 30, 2015). But according to interrogators and even the CIA, torture does not work to get reliable information. Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People: The Dynamics of Torture, Torture and the War on Terror (The French List), Letters to My Torturer: Love, Revolution, and Imprisonment in Iran, The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival, The Instruments of Torture, Revised and Updated, “Offers a passionate and informative riposte to those who feel a ‘war on terror’ justifies barbarism.”. The word torture comes from the Latin tortura, meaning to twist. The single best argument against the employment of torture based on science rather than politics! With bookstore tours and readings out of the question, Reich came up with an idea to get the word out about his book. Eleven U.S. soldiers were eventually convicted of crimes relating to the Abu Ghraib scandal. Even if that person does give up some information, their memory could be corrupted by … Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2016. No, Torture Doesn't Work. Torture is illegal and immoral but what O'Mara proves is that it is also completely ineffective as an information-gathering tool. GET THIS BOOK Why Torture Doesn't Work Besides being cruel and inhumane, torture does not work the way torturers assume it does. Social science research tells us that torture doesn't work—but philosophy and history reveal the real reason why we must oppose it. GET THIS BOOK Why Torture Doesn't Work Besides being cruel and inhumane, torture does not work the way torturers assume it does. As Prof. O'Mara makes clear, the book does not examine the other uses or rationales for torture, such as the production of false confessions, or the general exploitation of the prisoner (show trials, turning a prisoner into an informant, terrorization of a population, etc. This book presents one of those opportunities. Please try again. Essential documentation about the failure of torture to produce "truth", Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016. by Diana Brown Jun 26, 2018. CIA officers and others conducted torture using precisely this justification. Much of the discussion about torture concentrates on the moral and ethical dilemmas involved, but in fact these arguments and make-believe situations are irrelevant if torture doesn't work … Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation By Shane O’Mara Harvard University Press, 336pp, £22.95 ISBN 9780674743908 Published 26 November 2015. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Torture Doesn't Work. Torture continues to be a topic of contentious debate, one unfortunately shaped by emotions and anecdotes rather than informed by reason and science. You’re breaking down the subject’s conscious, cognitive filter, and getting the raw sewage in … Why Torture Doesn't Work: A Critique of Alan Dershowitz' Case for Torture March 11, 2004 By Jack Rabbit. The number 2 terrorism expert for the State Department says torture doesn't work, and just creates more terrorists A former high-level CIA officer states : Many governments that have routinely tortured to obtain information have abandoned the practice when they discovered that other approaches actually worked better for extracting information. The science is accessible without losing those not experienced in neuroscience and contains all the relevant references for those who want to check facts or dig deeper into the science. Professor O’Mara should be commended for tackling this issue and the book is highly recommended for anyone interested in this topic. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. As a career intelligence officer with extensive experience as both an interrogator and as a researcher studying the behavioral science underlying interrogation, I strongly recommend this book. By … It often is misleading, as in the case of Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, an Al Qaeda lieutenant who was tortured into saying that Saddam Hussein worked with Al Qaeda and had weapons of mass destruction. Read "Why Torture Doesn’t Work The Neuroscience of Interrogation" by Shane O'Mara available from Rakuten Kobo. Excellent book, written in an easy to understand style. "Why Torture Doesn't Work" is a fascinating read about the scientific research around how memory works not just for scientists, but for policymakers, attorneys, academics, and especially for government officials who are involved in interrogation techniques and practices. A former senior interrogator in Iraq says that abusing prisoners results in unreliable information, costs American lives, and it still hasn’t turned up Bin Laden. For ethical reasons, there are no scientific studies of torture. There is simply no evidence at all that torture works. As O’Mara guides us through the neuroscience of suffering, he reveals the brain to be much more complex than the brute calculations of torturers have allowed, and he points the way to a humane approach to interrogation, founded in the science of brain and behavior.Torture may be effective in forcing confessions, as in Stalin’s Russia. While the employment of torture is most definitely a policy issue, it must not be a partisan one. 12/20/2013 04:37 pm ET Updated Dec 06, 2017 Most Americans do not know that their government engaged in practices that the civilized world considers war crimes. ). May 20, 2016 Shane O'Mara. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2016. Well the dam theory pretty much spells out its own failing. Torture is banned because it is cruel and inhumane. Why Keep That Secret?! But as Shane O’Mara writes in this account of the human brain under stress, another reason torture should never be condoned is because it does not work the way torturers assume it does. This is an academic treatise, rather than a book for a more general reader; nonetheless, it should appeal to a wide audience. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Torture Doesn't Work. Most likely those under such extreme duress will say whatever they think interrogators want to hear to get the torture to end. "Why Torture Doesn't Work" is specifically meant to counter the claims of the efficacy of torture to produce information. In countless films and TV shows such as Homeland and 24, torture is portrayed as a harsh necessity. 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