Checking humanity at the door

In the wake of the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report detailing the acts of brutality sanctioned by the CIA, Americans are trying to understand the actions committed in our name.

The report describes acts of torture that should shock every American, including waterboarding, rectal feedings and chaining individuals in a standing position for up to seven and a half days to deprive them of sleep.

The United Nations Convention Against Torture, which the United States has ratified, clearly defines such actions as illegal torture.

The real truth, however, is that torture is committed in our names on a daily basis in situations that are not emergencies and against people who are not so different from you and me.

Torture is routine in U.S. prisons and is largely tolerated. I hope that the outrage we have seen in the wake of the torture report inspires a national conversation about our complicity in this other set of human rights abuses.

Tens of thousands of people are housed in solitary confinement every day. Individuals are confined to six-by-nine isolation cells (a space smaller than many American bathrooms) for 23 hours per day.

They often develop severe emotional, psychological and physical dysfunctions with long-term effects.

Solitary is not reserved for violent individuals; many nonviolent and vulnerable populations are housed in isolation under the guise of safety and protection.

Among the vulnerable populations are juveniles, persons with disabilities, sexual assault victims and LGBT individuals.

Children are often locked in isolation for months at a time, an action that if conducted outside of the criminal justice environment would be deemed a criminal form of abuse and/or neglect.

And yet, all too often institutions in the U.S. are not held accountable for using these methods of extreme punishment, despite known harm.

In order to move forward and stop perpetuating harm, there must be:

▪ Formal acknowledgement of the harm that has been done, admitting wrongdoing in all forms of torture.

▪ Accountability of the individuals and institutions who conduct torture by prosecuting the actions as criminal offenses.

▪ Reparations. Individuals who have been harmed by government institutions deserve to have their damages repaired.

▪ A change in the paradigm and a new narrative.

The current paradigm uses violent measures to address violence in society. Violence perpetuates violence.

The criminal justice system has checked its humanity at the door for far too long.

Torture runs contrary to the teachings of all religions and dishonors all faiths. It is an egregious violation of the dignity and worth of every human being.

Betty Gilmore is director for the Center for Dispute Resolution at Southern Methodist University.

This story was originally published December 24, 2014 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Checking humanity at the door."