1. Is waterboarding a useful form of punishment?
2. What kinds of crimes would be punished using waterboarding?
3. Is waterboarding more useful than other types of punishments?
While reading Christopher Hitchens "Believe Me, It's torture" article, question number one kept popping into my head. Torture has always played a roll in federal, local, or state policy. I believe that there are betters ways to punish someone than using this method of waterboarding. As Hitchens mentioned in his article, "it may be a means of extracting information, but it is also a means of extracting junk information." This got me thinking that no matter what the punishment, people will say anything to stop the torture, whether it be the truth or if it is false. I believe that drowning someone for a confession is not the right way to get this information therefore I believe that this form of torture is not justified. I do, however, think that in certain situations, torture may be a useful tool, just not in this form. For example, I believe that the death chair is a fair punishment to someone who was given a death sentence, but as for just trying to get information out of someone about a crime, I believe that there are better ways of going about that. Things such as interrogation rooms or even maybe a few nights in jail can get a person to talk just the same as waterboarding may.
I had the same question running through my mind while reading the article. I agree with you that torture often times extracts false or useless information. When people are in pain or agony they will say anything to make it go away. Which is often what happens when water boarding or other forms of torture are used to extract information. I feel that this form of interrogation should be banned in all countries, since while it may be banned in the United States other countries still use it. I agree that there are other, more productive, ways to get information than using torture. I enjoyed reading your posting on this article.
ReplyDeleteI think waterboarding is probably useful form or punishment, but it needs to be check to stop using because it is unethical way. And I have same question to your second one. Mine is who is eligible for waterboarding then. Anyway, I think waterboarding might be unethical way, but it has brought some successful results such as, capturing Bin Laden. In my opinion, we need to find some way for reduing conflict itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last sentence. I think that there are other ways to punish people or to get the information that they need. I also wrote about this in my blog.
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