Rhizome Experiment, Fall 2015

Abu Ghraib

Prison guards at Abu Ghraib, one of America’s most targeted prisons located in Iraq, displayed similar behaviors to the prison guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this case, the simulation becomes the real. Most prison guards were Military Police officers who were trained to patrol and go on raids. They were not specifically trained for the task at hand and did not receive any proper protocols, besides not to kill. They were able, and even encouraged, to inflict physical and mental harassment along with sleep deprivation, starvation, and sexual humiliation. Often prisoners would be stripped and tortured or forced to do physical tasks including “squat thrusts and low-crawling naked over concrete to being slapped and knocked around while hooded and made to stand on a cardboard box all night” (Gourevitch). Through this abuse, prisoners were left with “psychological trauma: ‘incoherent speech, acute anxiety reactions . . . suicidal ideas’” (Gourevitch). Without constraint, guards took advantage of their power and proved it by documenting it with photographs, smiling as a prisoner lay on the ground behind them naked, tied up, and hooded by a bag. When these photos were shown to higher ranked commanders, they praised the work of the guards, encouraging the continuation. Being in a prison, far from the public’s eye, guards and officers could take the power into their own hands and let it grow to a dangerous point that led to breakdown.  When a prisoner Jamadi was reported dead in the showers, Military Police Officer Sabrina Harman decided to investigate herself. The guards were told that the death was from a heart attack; however, Harman found and photographed bruises and cuts running up and down his body along with blood running from his ears and nose. For Harman, this was the breakdown, she had been lied to by the commander and documented it to show that America was not what she thought. A C.I.A. agent killed Jamadi during interrogation and tried covering it up.

While the prison guards displayed such power over the Iraqi prisoners, the US political elite stood higher above all. When photographs of Abu Ghraib were viewed publically, someone had to be blamed. Many guards were convicted and sentenced to prison time along with a dishonorable discharge, as several deserved. However, the C.I.A. agent who actually murdered a prisoner was never charged for his crime. The worst crime was let go due to the social hierarchy of the situation. The US political elite, who was aware and encouraged the abuse to continue, were as responsible for the crimes as the guards, but with their power, they could escape it. Those who faced court that were in the elite, were cleared of all crimes, leaving the US soldiers to take the blame.

The situation at Abu Ghraib can also be explained by techne. In Kevin's page, he describes techne as a "metacognition that facilitates both our self and environmental awareness, and it informs our action based on this awareness." The environment of Abu Ghraib consisted of poor to no supervision, virtually no restrictions, and was located away from American homeland and therefore, away from  the public's eye. These characteristics of the prison supported the terrors that took place be acceptable. It lead guards to look at their potential power, analyze their environmental situation and act accordingly. Had this prison been in the United States, the conditions would have been much different with less tolerated, so guards would not act as they did in Iraq.




 

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