Cia's Detention And Interrogation

“Ethics is the discipline of determining good and evil and defining moral duties”. (Pollock, 2014) In this research paper I will look into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation program and the remarks of Director Brennan who claims this program was “abhorrent”. To support my conclusion, I will use facts from the report itself, and ethical models I have applied to determine if this program, and its methods were ethical.

One of the first finding in the report by the Committee was that the use of the CIA 's enhanced interrogation techniques was not an effective way of gaining truthful information or gaining detainee cooperation. The example given was that “according to CIA records, seven of the 39 CIA detainees known to have been subjected to

I have only chosen five of the findings of the many that were pointed out in the report. I feel that even with the five findings I have chosen to write about there is overwhelming information and substantial evidence to deem the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation program unethical. Starting with the fact that the program was ineffective and showed that prior to the techniques it was more accurate, secondly the fact that they were torturing the detainees, and had them in a place unfit for human habitation, and lastly the fact that they were not honest with the overseers and provided false information. The people running this program had no moral judgement. The text states, “If an act or intent is inherently good (coming from good will), it is still considered a good act even if it results in bad consequences” (Pollock, 2014). Which is exactly what I think the CIA program lacked. I mean yes in the beginning I can see where it would sound like a good idea to enhance a program to obtain more accurate results, especially in matters of public safety, but when you already have compared results from prior interrogations, to results from current investigations from individuals exposed to the “enhance techniques” and see no positive outcomes and still choose to do it, that is unethical. To torture human beings and try to avoid detection by justice and government officials, obviously points out that you are aware that what you are doing is wrong, and that is unethical. One of the ethical system that has come to mind is “Ethical Formalism.” This ethical system is “concerned solely with the inherent nature of the act” (Pollock, 33). What this means is that although initially the program was trying to be doing a “good deed,” by protecting us from threats, the deed is actually not good if the intentions are bad, or is for hidden motives. The one finding that took me back was the avoidance of detection, the lying to and false reporting to avoid detection, is unethical. I