Psyche, Science, and Society

Steven Reisner on APA referendum

August 27th, 2008

Steven Reisner, candidate for President of the American Psychological Association, has sent the following statement on the APA referendum to remove psychologists from US detention facilities violating international law unless they work for the detainees. This statement is in response to concerns expressed abut the impact of the referendum by some who claim to support its intent:

Hi all,

I have followed the debate on the referendum language quite carefully and was present at the Council meeting on August 12th, where the issue was discussed. I’ve also reviewed correspondence with Natalie Gilfoyle (APA Legal Council) and Barry Anton (Recording Secretary) and the sponsors of the referendum. It is important to note that this is the first referendum in APA’s history, and so there is currently a good faith effort to fairly oversee and institutionalize a process of both the voting on and, should it pass, the application of the referendum. All parties have been quite clear that their aim, should the referendum pass, would be to have it apply as the sponsors intended and to avoid unintended or mischievous consequences.

The sponsors, in their FAQs and clarification statements, have made it absolutely clear that the intent of the referendum is to prevent psychologists from participating in operations that take place at sites where national security detainees are being held intentionally outside of the protections of the Geneva Conventions, international law, or the US constitution, such as CIA black sites, Guantanamo, Bagram, etc. The sponsors have also made it clear that the referendum does not apply to prisoners in domestic prisons who are not being held as part of national security detentions, nor would it apply to psychologists working in foreign countries on missions of peace or human welfare.

I do not believe that the Council and the sponsors would apply this resolution in a way that would cause trouble for domestic forensic or international peace psychologists, since all parties are determined to avoid such an application.

But I do know that the APA leadership has thus far resisted any attempt at blocking psychologists from participating in our government’s illegal program of national security detention. In this way the APA stands alone among the major health professions. That is why the Department of Defense announced that they would be using only psychologists, and not physicians or psychiatrists, in these roles.

I believe the referendum is important, too, because for the first time, it gives the membership a voice in choosing whether APA members should be associated with these policies and practices. I think it is vitally important that we dissociate ourselves from these operations before the Bush administration passes into history. This is not the time to passively run down the clock and hope that attention focuses elsewhere. This is the time to stand up and speak out. If we miss the opportunity to speak truth to power, I am afraid that our organization will forever be seen as having acquiesced where we should have protested, and of following where we should have led.

For all of these reasons I support the referendum and urge members to vote ‘yes.’

Steven

Steven Reisner, Ph.D.

Entry Filed under: APA, CIA, Guantanamo, Interrogation, Psychology, Torture