APA Member-Initiated Task Force to Reconcile Policies Related to Psychologists' Involvement in National Security Settings

The goal of this grassroots task force is to develop a clear, comprehensive policy statement that consolidates existing APA policies into a unified, consistent document. The consolidated policy document will highlight the following principles drawn from existing APA policies:

1. Torture is always a violation of human rights and psychologists' professional ethics;
2. Psychologists are always prohibited from engaging in torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;
3. Abusive interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding and sensory deprivation, constitute torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and are always prohibited;
4. The role of psychologists in unlawful detention settings is limited to working on behalf of detainees or providing treatment for military personnel;
5. There is absolutely no defense to a violation of human rights under the APA Ethics Code.

The web page for this member-initiated task force is here.

Here is a copy of the proposed policy:

This is a policy recommendation related to psychologists' work in national security settings and reaffirmat...